PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN EXNESS AND WWF Preparations to release leopards are proceeding at full speed in the Caucasus A training rock has been built and radio collars have been selected for the kittens Akhun and Viktoriya, who will lay the foundation for a new population of Persian leopards in the Caucasus. The animals are slated to be released in the spring of 2015. Back in the 20th century, many Persian leopards inhabited the Caucasus Mountains, but after a short period of time their uncontrolled extermination began. In 2000 records showed isolated animals. Today restoring the leopard population in the Caucasus is one of the goals of WWF Russia. The Funds specialists together with experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria have developed and approved special Guidelines for the Preparation and Release of Leopards into the Wild. Right now the young leopards are at the Persian Leopard Breeding and Rehabilitation Center in Sochi National Park. The animals are actively being prepared for life in the wild: New equipment - a rock - has been installed in their enclosure. It will facilitate development of balance. After they have been prepared for life in the wild, the growing leopards will be released into the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve. We plan to release them in the spring of 2015, said Natalya Dronova, WWF Russias coordinator for the preservation of rare species. Akhun and Viktoriya are expected to be released in the region of Mount Yatyrgvarta within the Caucasian Reserve. Thanks to EXNESS support of the project, satellite radio collars will be placed on the leopards in the spring in order to track their movement and activity. These devices wont cause the leopards discomfort, because they are light, weighing only 2% of the animals mass. Additionally, the collars are protected from external shocks and animal bites, which prevents them from being gnawed off. Information about the animals movements will be published on the websites of the projects partners: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Sochi National Park, Caucasian State Reserve, and WWF Russia.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 09:11:58 +0000
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