Two Persian leopards caught on camera

Talking to IRNA, deputy head of Loristan Environment Protection Organization said the pictures were recorded by camera trap in Khorramabad township.

Nabiollah Qaed Rahbar said six camera traps have been installed in several regions in Lorestan province aimed at recording the pictures of rare animals.

The Persian leopard (Panthera pardus ciscaucasica syn. Panthera pardus saxicolor), also called the Caucasian leopard or Central Asian leopard, is the largest leopard subspecies native to the Caucasus region, southern Turkmenistan, northern Iran and parts of western Afghanistan.

It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List; the population is estimated at fewer than 871–1,290 mature individuals and considered declining.

Leopards possibly also occur in northern Iraq.

A phylogenetic analysis suggests that the Persian leopard matrilineally belongs to a monophyletic group that diverged from a group of Asian leopards in the second half of the Pleistocene.