ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - One of the world’s rarest big cats that is threatened with extinction has been spotted in the mountainous Barzan area of northern Erbil province.
The Persian leopard, or Panthera pardus tulliana, was captured on video by a villager close to an inhabited area.
“This scene was recorded on the slopes of Shirin Mountain, within the village of Hostan,” Mobin Abdullah, a member of the Barzan Environmental Protection Battalion, said in a statement.
“Panthera Pardus Tulliana is known as the Persian leopard. There are about 800 to 1,000 of them existing in the world,” he added.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has classified the leopard as an endangered species on its Red List, meaning it faces significant threats to its existence.
The Zagros mountains are a key habitat for the Persian leopard, but several of the animals have been hunted or trapped within the Kurdistan Region.
The head of the Barzan Environmental Protection Battalion, Hasan Hali, said they have seen leopards before, but never this close to populated areas or on camera.
The organization has urged people to avoid visiting the area so as not to scare the animal.
Accessing the area itself is quite a trek as all traffic in and out of Barzan is closely controlled in order to preserve the wildlife, streams, and fragile oak forests. Hunting and logging are strictly prohibited.
