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Yarovenko, Y.; Zazanashvili, N.
Recent hard evidence for the occurrence of the occurrence of the leopard, _Panthera pardus _(Mammalia: Felidae), in the Eastern Greater Caucasus
2016  Zoology in the Middle East (62): 88-90

The Eastern Greater Caucasus, which extends from the upper watershed of the Terek River in the east and covers parts of the Republics of Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia (Russian Federation) as well as north-eastern Georgia and northern Azerbaijan, is known to have a large area of suitable habitats for the endangered Persian (Caucasian) Leopard, _Panthera pardus saxicolor_ Pocock, 1927 (= _P. p. ciscaucasica_ Satunin, 1914). Field surveys conducted in the early 2000s within the framework of the WWF Caucasus Programme have identified the western part of the Eastern Greater Caucasus as one of four remaining "shelters" for leopards in the region (Lukarevsky et al., 2007). Habitat suitability was proven by a modelling exercise (Zimmermann et al., 2007). In addition, GIS modelling showed a close link between the past records of the leopard and the occurrence of its main prey species (Yarovenko, 2012). The last hard evidence of the leopard in this area is from 1981 from the administration of the Gumbetov district in Dagestan, when an animal fell into a trap set by shepherds for wolves (Spasskaya & Saidalieva, 1982). Regular field surveys conducted by the first author since 2007 as well as camera-trapping carried out in the provinces of Tusheti (June 2009 - October 2010) and Khevsureti (July 2012 - October 2013) in Georgia, with an effort of 690-800 trapnights/ year (NACRES/WWF 2009-2013), were unsuccessful. Except for a number of unconfirmed and anecdotal observations reported mostly by hunters, shepherds and rangers, no hard evidence of the leopard was registered. Such results supported the doubts of some researchers about the survival of the leopard as a resident species in the Greater Caucasus (Khorozyan & Abramov, 2007).

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