Distribution and Habitat
The Anatolian leopard was first described on the basis of a single specimen in the extreme west of Asia Minor, near Izmir in Turkey. In eastern Turkey, their range converges with the range of Caucasian leopards. Anatolian leopards once prowled the forest and hill habitats of the Aegean, Mediterranean, and eastern Anatolian regions. During surveys carried out between 1993 and 2002, zoologists found evidence of leopards in the upper forest and alpine zones of the eastern Pontic Mountains, where human population is low. In this area their prey consists of wild ungulates including deer, chamois, wild goats, wild boar, mountain hare and Caucasian grouse.
In spring of 1992, fresh fecal pellets were found in Termessos National Park. Further data based on interviews with local people suggested that leopard populations survive in eastern Lycia and in parts of western Lycia.
It is unknown whether any leopards still exist in the wild in Anatolia. Extensive trophy hunting is thought to be the prime factor for the decline and possible extinction of the Anatolian leopard. One hunter named Mantolu Hasan killed at least fifteen leopards between 1930 and 1950.
In Israel, there were leopards until the 1980s and some unconfirmed reports of encounters with leopards in the Galilee and the Golan Heights. However, these specimen are supposedly Arabian leopards. In Syria, the last leopard is reputed to have been killed in 1963 in the Al-Ansariyah mountains, about 20 km (12 mi) from the Turkish border. Conservation status of leopards in Lebanon is not available.
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