IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Maharramova, E.; Moqanaki, E.M.; Askerov, E.; Faezi, S.; Alinezhad, H.; Mousavi, M.; Kuemmerle, T.; Heidelber, A.; Zazanashvili, N. | |
| Transboundary leopard movement between Azerbaijan and Iran in the Southern Caucasus | |
| 2018 Cat News (67): 8-10 | |
Understanding whether large cat populations are transboundary by nature is important for conservation planning. We here report transboundary movement by an adult male Persian leopard _Panthera pardus tulliana_ (= _P. p. ciscaucasica _= _P. p. saxicolor_) in the Talysh Mountains of the south-eastern Lesser Caucasus. Between 12 and 13 July 2013 this leopard, named Astkhan, was photographed by camera traps at three locations inside Hirkan National Park NP, Talysh Mountains, Azerbaijan. On 7 February 2014 a local hunter killed an adult leopard in Chubar Highlands of Gilan Province, north-western Iran, approximately 30 km away from Hirkan NP (straight-line distance). Comparing photos of this poached leopard with those obtained from Hirkan NP allowed us to identify this leopard as Astkhan. This is the first hard evidence of transboundary movements by Persian leopards in the Talysh Mountains, and thus for linkages between leopard sub-populations in Azerbaijan and northern Iran. This also suggests that the transboundary Talysh Mountains are of utmost importance as a corridor between core leopard areas in the Caucasus Ecoregion, and thus for the Persian leopard conservation in general. Joint survey planning, reporting and data sharing can be a first step for transboundary cooperation in leopard conservation between the eco-regional countries. |
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