The most common subspecies of large felids in West and Central Asia, the Persian leopard has been hunted severely throughout its range for centuries. Now an endangered subspecies, the majority of the world’sPersian leopard lives in Iran. However, poaching along with habitat fragmenta on has reduced its populations to fewer than 1000 individuals in west Asia. An investigation on Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor was carried out from September 2007 to October 2008 in Ghorkhod & Behkadeh Reserve, northeastern Iran. The area is the main buffer habitat around the core (source) population in Golestan National Park, but it suffers severe depletion of natural prey species due to lower level ofprotection measures, and is probably a sink population. We conclude that to ensure corridors and buffer zones, the most urgent and achievable solution is perhaps to designate additional “No Hunting Areas”and to implement anti-poaching measures, which may help the regional Persian leopard population to survive under a meta population framework. Northeastern Iran is supposed to hold the highest density of the Edangered Persian leopard (IUCN 2008) with a number of wellknown sites (e.g. Golestan, Sarigol, Tandureh). The subspecies has on the whole been experiencing a loss of habitat over a wide part of its range which inevitably will lead to its fragmentation into small, genetically isolated populations. However, the range of the leopard is still known to include large parts of Iran and there may be 550–850 specimens in Iran, some 55% of which live in protected Golestan National Park is one of the most outstanding habitats of the subspecies in Iran, connecting to Ghorkhod Protected Area in the east and Behkadeh Razavi No Hunting Area in the northeast. These areas possess suitable leopard habitats, and we suppose that they play a buffer role for Golestan. We call them hereafter “Ghorkhod & Behkadeh Reserve”. The leopard survey in Ghorkhod & Behkadeh Reserve has been part of the research and conservation efforts by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) on Asiatic cheetah andPersian leopard in
northeastern Iran, which has been initiated since 2003. The present publication describes some ecological aspects of the Persian leopard in a low-density buffer habitat, a sink population where the leopards suffer from serious poaching as well as prey depletion. With this article, we hope to create a more comprehensive perspective among the Iranian wildlife conservation parties in order to consider the necessity of buffer habitats when establishing leopard core reserves to ensure the long-term survival of the subspecies. With an area of 433 km², Ghorkhod Protected Area is located in the most eastern part of the Caspian forests in the territory of North Khorasan Province. Altitudes from 1000 to 2700 meters, mean annual precipitation of 660 mm, and mean annual temperature of 9 °C produce a Mediterranean and temperate sub-humid climate in Ghorkhod PA (Darvishsefat 2006). Behkadeh Razavi No Hunting Area is smaller (ca. 230 km²) and connected to the north boundary of Ghorkhod. The area includes two distinct biomes, the plains (1/3 of the total area) and mountainous terrain. Ghorkhod was added to Golestan NP in 1976, but declared an independent protected area in 1982. Behkadeh Razavi was designated a No Hunting Area in 2006 and merged into Ghorkhod PA due to the presence of goitered gazelle Gazella subgutturosa and the Critically Endangered Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus venaticus. These twin areas are home to a diversity of carnivore species, including brown bear Ursus arctos, caracal Caracal caracal, wild cat Felis silvestris and grey wolf Canis lupus. It is supposed that lynx Lynx lynx exist in the area, but we did not find any evidence. The Persian leopard survey was carried out from September 2007 to October 2008 in Ghorkhod & Behkadeh Reserve. Main valleys and trails in both areas
were searched for leopard signs. We recorded leopard presence based on signs, including tracks, scrapes, scats, and kill remains. Persian Leopard scats were characteristically segmented into several lobes, with a mean diameter of 2.7 cm (2.0–3.0 cm) and pointed ends. Furthermore, leopards are more likely to defecate on trails or on grassy areas along the trails to mark their presence, normally on scrapes (Sunquist & Sunquist 2002). All excrements were inspected for the presence of hairs, bones, nails, and other remains. Hairs were identified using a reference collection compiled by Sepasi & Falahatkar (2006). During the entire study, we recorded all direct leopard sightings, both by researchers and local residents, and leopard tracks and scrapes. We also made inquiries about leopards with local people, mainly shepherds who visit frequently most parts of the study area. Leopard observations by local people were only accepted after proper confirmation, mainly by assessing the observer’s ability to describe the animal’s morphology. Behaviour of the animal, as described by the observer, sometimes helped to reveal the identity of the species. However, as other large carnivores present in the area differ markedly from leopards, the verification of the local people’s observations was not contentious. In parallel, 2 to 4 camera traps were set to photo capture animals, including the leopard.Source: animaldiscovery-chanelPopulation, Image: flickr.com
