Rare Leopard Seen in Afghan Mountains: Big Pic
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Dec. 5, 2011 -- Camera traps have captured a tremendous image of a big adult Persian leopard in the rocky terrain of Afghanistan's central highlands. The top predator was thought to have disappeared from the area.
In a series of images, the adult leopard is seen prowling around the camera, investigating it and even threatening it by exposing its teeth.
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The camera traps also captured images of other wildlife, including lynx, wild cat, wolf, red fox, and stone marten in the Hindu Kush highlands, where Wildlife Conservation Society scientists and Afghan rangers have been conducting surveys in recent months.
"To see such a varied array of wildlife after we have endured so much conflict gives us hope for Afghanistan’s future," said Mostapha Zaher, Director General of Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency.
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"The presence of leopards and lynxes in Afghanistan tells us that these big cats are finding enough prey to survive," said Ghani Ghuriani, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock. "This means that the rangelands can still support ibex, urial, and other species, which is a good sign for both wildlife and the people of this region who also depend on these grasslands for grazing."
Afghanistan has created a list of protected species, which prohibits hunting of snow leopards, brown bears and other species.
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Photo and source: Wildlife Conservation Society
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