Specialists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution (IEE RAS), who are providing scientific support for the Persian Leopard Recovery Program in the Caucasus together with zoologists from other organizations, have obtained new important data.
A five-year-old female leopard named Khosta, released in 2022 in North Ossetia (in the Turmon Nature Reserve), has been registered once again in Kabardino-Balkaria. Key evidence of the predator's successful adaptation came from images from a camera trap installed by IEE RAS researcher Alim Pkhitikov. These images show Khosta without the GPS collar she had been wearing since her release, indicating the device's normal operation, having fulfilled its primary purpose.
Unique domestic "Moosefarmer" GPS collars, developed at the IEE RAS, were used to monitor the released leopards. They demonstrated exceptional reliability and quality, in no way inferior to foreign analogues. The data from the collar allowed us to track Khosta's journey in detail. After her release in the Turmon Nature Reserve, she thoroughly explored its surroundings in North Ossetia, then just as carefully explored the biotopes of the Chechen Republic, and after a long journey, settled in Kabardino-Balkaria. These routes became valuable reference points for our team's field research.
"We are often asked whether it is possible to monitor leopards continuously, and not just in the first year after release, while they are receiving signals from the GPS collar. Unfortunately, no other technology allows us to monitor released animals for longer periods with the same level of quality and reliability," notes Academician Vyacheslav Rozhnov (IEE RAS). "But we are maximizing our capabilities, including other technical means, such as camera traps."
Developing a photo monitoring network is the next critical stage of the program. Currently, there is a severe shortage of such devices in the Caucasus. By comparison, Land of the Leopard National Park in the Russian Far East has an extensive network of camera traps, allowing for precise genealogy of local leopards. Experts are working to create a similar system in the Caucasus.
Madina Slanova, coordinator of the work in North Ossetia, explains that concrete steps are being taken in the same direction there as well: as part of the "Guardian of the Mountains and Masters of the Forests – the Caucasian Leopard and Bison" project (Berkut State Budgetary Institution), which won the first grant competition of the Presidential Foundation for Ecological and Nature Conservation Projects, a network of camera traps to collect data on these animals is planned to be established by 2027. Specialists from IEE RAS are also providing scientific support for this project.
The Presidential Foundation for Ecological and Nature Conservation Projects is also providing significant support for the development of photo monitoring in the Caucasus in the Chechen Republic (as part of the development of a national photo monitoring network in Russia's protected areas). Previous data obtained by the IEE RAS with support from the Nature and People Foundation have already confirmed the uniqueness of Chechnya, where a rich fauna of terrestrial mammals with a high population density of many species has been discovered. However, a complex set of environmental issues has been identified in parallel (hybridization of wild Caucasian cats with domestic cats, the impact of waste on animal welfare, and the consequences of landmines in former combat zones) that require special attention and study of the risks to leopard recovery.
Despite extensive support, resources for a comprehensive and in-depth study of the unique potential of the Chechen Republic and other key sites for the recovery of the Persian leopard in the North Caucasus remain insufficient. The IEE RAS and the entire scientific team continue to seek support from various foundations with the shared strategic goal of creating a modern and effective photomonitoring system in the Caucasus that will serve as the foundation for the long-term conservation and recovery of the Persian leopard population and all related species in the ecoregion.
Related materials:
Science.Mail: "A female leopard, released into the wild three years ago, was spotted in the Caucasus"
Kommersant: "A female leopard from Sochi has remained in Kabardino-Balkaria for the winter"
Kavkaz.MK: "The female leopard, Khosta, has adapted to the wild and chosen Kabardino-Balkaria as her home"
Portal of the Northern Caucasus: "The female leopard Khosta has chosen the mountains of the Kabardino-Balkaria for wintering"
Pobeda26: "The female Persian leopard Khosta has decided to winter in Kabardino-Balkaria"
Sochi24: "The female leopard from Sochi will spend the winter in Kabardino-Balkaria"
Bloknot.Sochi: "A leopard raised in Sochi is settling in Kabardino-Balkaria"
Stavropol News Feed: "Look what a beauty settled in the Kabardino-Balkaria" BezFormata: "The female leopard Khosta from Sochi has wintered in the forests of Kabardino-Balkaria: scientists have tracked her path"