Azerbaijani leopard migrates to Türkiye Eco-revival of Zangezur in action / VIDEO

One of Azerbaijan’s leopards has migrated from the Zangezur National Park in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic to Türkiye, settling near the Black Sea, marking a remarkable milestone in regional wildlife conservation.

For the past 13 years, camera traps in Zangezur National Park have been monitoring the behaviour and population of leopards (Panthera pardus), according to the Azerbaijani office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Regular observations and monitoring by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (MENR), the IDEA Public Union, and WWF Azerbaijan reveal a significant increase in reproduction rates. While leopards in the park previously gave birth every two years, recent years have seen cubs born annually. In total, 15 cubs have been documented since the monitoring began.

As the young leopards mature, they naturally disperse to seek new territories. One of these cubs has now crossed into Türkiye, illustrating both the success of conservation efforts in Azerbaijan and the adaptability of these big cats.