Persian leopard  (Panthera pardus saxicolor)

The relatively large geographic range of the Persian leopard belies its low overall population size. In 2005, it was estimated that less than 1,300 cats were left in the wild and these were to be found in small and increasingly fragmented populations (2) (5) (6). Historically, the Persian leopard was much more widespread in southwest Asia but hunting, habitat destruction and a decline in prey populations have seen their numbers plummet (2) (6) (7). In Afghanistan, the leopard fur trade is still rampant and ongoing civil unrest is further exacerbating the plight of these cats (6). The situation in Armenia is slightly different with human disturbance arising from livestock breeding and other farming practices having the largest impact (9). In Iran, which supports between 550 and 850 Persian leopards, shooting and poisoning of cats occurs in an effort to alleviate predation on livestock (7). This is not widespread, but makes a substantial impact on the viability of fragmented populations by forcing population sizes below a sustainable threshold (8).

The Persian leopard is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and in the absence of targeted conservation faces a very real threat of extinction in the wild (1) (9). Currently there are only a small number of documented projects in Iran, Armenia and Georgia striving to develop targeted conservation strategies for these leopards. These include gathering basic biological data, enlargement of existing protected areas, maintenance of habitat corridors through which leopards can move, and education of local communities to increase public awareness and concern for the species' survival (6) (7) (9) (10).