{
  "id": 16785441,
  "title": "Persian leopards hang on in the Caucasus despite landmines",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/persian-leopards-hang-on-in-the-caucasus-despite-landmines",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-27T18:59:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mongabay",
    "slug": "mongabay",
    "url": "https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/10/persian-leopards-hang-on-in-the-caucasus-despite-landmines/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Persian leopard, a critically endangered subspecies, has remained elusive in the Caucasus region over the past two decades, with only limited sightings in Georgia and Armenia. However, researchers are closely monitoring one individual, named Aren, who has captured their attention due to its remarkable resilience despite having only three legs. This remarkable journey covered a distance of 240 kilometers (150 miles) through rugged mountainous terrain, likely resulting from landmines left from past conflicts in the region, encompassing southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.\n\nKayleigh Long, a journalist who recently spoke for Mongabay, discussed the ongoing efforts to protect these elusive big cats. She highlighted the challenges faced by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the New Eurasian Caucasus Region for Endangered Species (NACRES) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), who operate on extremely limited budgets. Long explained, \"These guys... are doing things on an absolute skeleton crew. And that's partly because of a lack of funding more generally. There's been a kind of tightening of purse strings around the world.\"\n\nNACRES, founded in Georgia in 1991 as the Noah's Ark Centre for the Recovery of Endangered Species, now operates under the name Centre for Biodiversity Conservation & Research. The organization boasts a small team of just three staff members, led by zoologist Bejan Lortkipanidze, who worked alongside Long during her investigation. Despite the difficulties, these dedicated individuals continue to monitor the Persian leopard population using a limited number of cameras placed in key areas.",
  "summary": "There have been few sightings of the endangered Persian leopard in the Caucasus region over the past 20 years: just three in Georgia and 10 in Armenia. But scientists and conservationists are alert to one Persian leopard in particular, whom they’ve named Aren and who is presumed to have journeyed 240 kilometers (150 miles) through […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}