A rare and elusive Anatolian leopard, a species previously thought to be functionally extinct, was recently caught on camera, Turkish officials said.
The Anatolian leopard was filmed prowling around the mountains of Turkey in two separate regions, Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said in a media statement last month.
Ministry official Vahit Kirişci shared footage of the wildcat on Facebook which showed the leopard prowling through several mountainous terrains. Although nearly all the videos were filmed during the day, one clip shows the elusive animal moving through tall grasses at night.
Anatolian leopards are an endangered species, Turkish officials said. The last leopard was thought to have been killed in 1974, and the species was considered extinct for 45 years.
Researchers have traced the rare leopard species to four regions in Turkey, but little is known about the animal’s population size and distribution, according to the press release. Anatolian leopards move frequently and can travel more than 24 kilometres a day.
Turkish officials, citing safety reasons, did not specify where the leopard was seen or when the different videos were taken. Experts estimate that only 10 to 15 Anatolian leopards still live in the wild today, according to Biology Online. The species was nearly driven to extinction because of trophy hunting.
Turkish officials will continue tracking the leopard caught on camera, Kirişci said.
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