May 4 - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (pictured) has released a leopard brought from Iran into Sochi National Park, which is part of the ecological programme of the city hosting the 2014 Olympics and Paralympics.



The rare Persian leopard is one of two that Iran recently gifted to Russia in exchange for two Amur, or Siberian, Tigers.

Russia hopes to start a breeding programme to revive the Persian leopard population in the Caucasus region which has largely disappeared because of poaching and a shrinking habitat.

At the same time, Iran is looking to re-introduce Amur tigers to the Islamic Republic, decades after they became extinct in the country.

Just one leopardess was released, as the second one fell ill and is under quarantine now.

In 2009 a special reintroduction centre was created to promote the leopards’ breeding in captivity and to encourage the release of their adapted offspring into the territory of Caucasian biosphere reserve.

The scientists hope that in future, the leopards will continue to produce offspring and thus renew the population of these animals destroyed  in the Caucuses.

Last year the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Coordination, led by Jean-Claude Killy and Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli, joined Putin to let the two animals into the cage in the National Park.


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