At the end of 2023, a series of popular science lectures “Real stories from the life of wild predators” was held in Vladikavkaz, dedicated to the work of scientists in the field of study and conservation of large predators. The National Scientific Library of North Ossetia-Alania has become a modern platform for performances held with the participation of invited specialists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Federal State Budgetary Institution "Reserved Ossetia-Alania", Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences, National Park "Land of the Leopard", Moscow Zoo. For the convenience of students, all lectures could be listened to both in person and online. “Leopards and human infrastructure”, “Illegal trafficking of animals”, “Wolves and leopards”, “Far Eastern leopards and tigers - how poachers are caught in the Far East” and others - a total of 8 topics covering various aspects of work in the field of biodiversity conservation in our country which were united under the banner of the project “Return of the Caucasian leopard to Ossetia.”
“What do we and animals have in common? There are many things, but one of the main characteristics of our life is the common space of planet Earth, and here in Russia it is the space of our country, which we inhabit together and where our paths intersect: the paths of people and animals, the paths of animals among themselves,” noted Maria Chistopolova, specialist of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, before her speech.
The Ministry of Natural Resources of North Ossetia also noted the contribution of scientists to the program for the restoration of the Central Asian leopard in the Caucasus and participation in environmental educational work in the region. On behalf of the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of North Ossetia-Alania Vadim Bazaev, the scientists were presented with certificates of honor for their great contribution to the creation of a scientific basis for the restoration of the Central Asian leopard in North Ossetia and for their high professionalism. “For three months, we had lectures in Ossetia that were broadcast online to reach a wide audience. It was a wonderful immersion into the world of expeditions and how carefully and precisely science explores our nature. Maria Chistopolova, Anna Yachmennikova, Jose Antonio Hernandez-Blanco, Alim Pkhitikov and others visited us. All these specialists study and restore large predators: Central Asian and Far Eastern leopards, Amur tigers, snow leopards and wolves,” said lecture organizer Madina Slanova. Video recordings of the lectures are presented on the project’s YouTube channel.”
