Anatolian Leopard - Research and Sightings

Research and Sightings

The last official sighting of the Anatolian leopard was in 1974. The animal was killed after an attack on a woman in Bağözü village, Beypazarı, 5 km from Beypazarı. Some scientists think that the subspecies has become extinct, while others have reported that 13–15 individuals still remain in the wild. In 2001, one specimen was spotted in a locality called Dandi near the town of Mut in the Taurus Mountains in Turkey's Mediterranean Region, and another one around Muskili Brook on the eastern Black Sea. In 2002, a team of Big Cat Rescue began an inventory expedition at an altitude of around 2000 m. The expedition was started after photographer Cemal Gulas brought the team a photograph of a paw print, which they determined to be one of a leopard. During the expedition the team members sighted a leopard and succeeded in taking a photo and confirming the continued existence of leopards in Anatolia.

In 2003, remote sensing cameras captured an adult male leopard in the Vashlovani National Park in Georgia. This specimen is most likely a Caucasian leopard. Another sighting was reported in 2004 in Pokut Plateau.

Currently, the Anatolian Leopard Foundation is studying the animal's population on Mount Taurus using camera traps. Researcher Selim Guray and his group found some tracks in the forest.