The endangered Persian Leopard has been spotted in Kazakhstan for the first time, marking a rare sighting in the Central Asian country where its presence had not been previously confirmed. With only around 1,000 Persian Leopards remaining in the world, the sighting in Kazakhstan is a significant event. The species, also known as the Caucasian or Anatolian Leopard, typically inhabits areas in the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and some Central Asian countries.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Persian Leopard is considered “endangered” and is at a high risk of extinction in its known native range. The IUCN estimates that there are between 750 and 1,044 Persian Leopards worldwide, with up to five potentially residing in Kazakhstan. Prior to this sighting, the leopard had been spotted in Kazakhstan only about ten times in the 21st century.
Between October and late December 2024, a trail camera in the Ustyurt nature reserve in western Kazakhstan captured four separate sightings of the leopard. The reserve’s forestry and wildlife committee released a video showing the leopard walking into a sandy cave in the desert. This sighting is significant because the leopard’s population has been dwindling for years due to poaching, habitat destruction, and a lack of prey.
The Ustyurt nature reserve expressed hope and pride in the sighting, viewing it as a symbol of the ecosystem’s recovery. The team behind the reserve described the leopard’s return as a result of their collective conservation efforts and expressed motivation to continue studying and protecting this rare predator in Kazakhstan.
