Recently, it became known that a female leopard appeared for the first time in the territory of the "Zangezur" biosphere complex. This is the only female leopard in Armenia. The leopard is a very cautious animal, and that is why there has been no female individual in Armenia for so long.

Radar Armenia tried to determine the current number of leopards in Armenia from the "Zangezur" biosphere complex.

Maria Petrosyan, the chief specialist of SNOC's science and tourism department, told us that leopard quantitative data are not published.

"The purpose of secrecy is to protect and ensure security to prevent further hunting of animals. Recently, a female leopard appeared for the first time in the territory of the "Zangezur" biosphere complex, the only female leopard in Armenia. It is a great excitement for us because the species in question can multiply in the territory of Armenia. In case of favorable conditions, there may be reproduction, and in the future, the quantitative data of the species will be improved."

According to him, a leopard conservation program is being carried out jointly with the World Nature Fund, in which the SNOCs subordinate to the Ministry of Environment also participate. The program involves jointly implementing monitoring to control the number of leopards in Armenia's territory, depending on the season.

In response to the question: Are the climatic conditions of Armenia favorable for the breeding of leopards? The "Zangezur" biosphere reserve clarified that there are favorable conditions for the lifestyle of leopards in Armenia: "The first precondition is the presence of food species. In case of the presence of most of the species that are food for the leopard (bezoar goat, Armenian mouflon, scrub hog, or wild boar not found in the Red Book, European goat), this species can naturally multiply. But we have another problem related to the border. We are in a region where military operations are inevitable, and it is a priority for not only Armenia but also everyone in our region to realize that nature has no borders. An animal knows no boundaries," said Petrosyan.

According to him, if we can jointly ensure regional security, animal breeding conditions will improve.

Hayk Magoyan