Rare leopard captured on camera in Mangystau region

Tengrinews.kz - A camera trap has captured footage of a Persian leopard in the Kyzylsai Nature Park in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region. According to the park administration, only one such predator lives in the area.
The park said the footage was taken back on July 1, but the decision to share it was made only now. Camera traps have been recording the presence of the Persian leopard in Kyzylsai since 2022.
Kazakhstan is currently part of an international cross-border program aimed at studying and protecting both the snow leopard and the Persian leopard. The park’s scientific staff continues to track the animal’s movements, seasonal activity, and return patterns, gradually collecting new data on its life.
The species is listed in Kazakhstan’s Red Book of endangered animals.

“One reason for the leopard’s presence in the region is the growth of its prey base — namely, populations of Ustyurt argalis and goitered gazelles,” the park explained.

Photo: Kyzylsai Nature Park
According to Kyzylsai park gamekeeper Boranbayev, this leopard is the only one in the Mangystau region.

“There is just one Persian leopard living in the park’s territory. A joint research project is being carried out across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, and Kyzylsai is part of it. We’ve confirmed that the animal is male. Female leopards live in Turkmenistan, where he periodically goes before returning via the Ustyurt Nature Reserve. So far, all camera trap records in Mangystau belong to this same individual,” he said.

Earlier, a drone video of a Siberian roe deer roaming through the Almaty Nature Reserve captured the attention of users online.