Project Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in Sarigol National Park, Iran

Mohammad Farhadinia

Sarigol NP is one of the last well-conserved habitats for the very little known Persian leopard in Iran. The present survey targets the leopard as one of the most endangered felids in Iran beside a main sympatric carnivore for the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah. It works through a field-based scientific framework to obtain information about the leopard ecological aspects. A main part of the project is based on camera trapping beside continuous tracking to verify the data. Public awareness will be done after evaluation of local people's attitude aiming to reduce the possible human-leopard conflicts. Finally, a scientific base and conservation strategy for the animal will be prepared.