Iran may help Russia to restore the population of Anatolian leopards in Russia's Caucasus, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources' press service said on Tuesday.
The issue was discussed during a meeting between Russian Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Igor Maydanov and Iran's Ambassador to Russia Seyyed Mahmoud-Reza Sajjadi.
"The two leopards given to Russia by Turkmenistan are currently acclimatizing at Sochi National Park," Maydanov said.
The leopards were brought to the Russian Black Sea resort from the ex-Soviet republic in September.
"To restore the leopard population, at least two pairs of cats are required," the deputy minister said, adding Russia had asked Turkmenistan and Iran to provide two female leopards.
The Iranian negotiator said in his turn he was ready to discuss the issue with the country's wildlife protection authorities.
During an annual televised question-and-answer session with Russians last week, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called for the conservation of endangered animals, including leopards, in the country.
Putin is taking active part in programs to study and preserve endangered animals, including the Amur tiger and the white whale.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are only 870-1300 Anatolian leopards left in the world. In Russia, the Anatolian leopard is only found in some remote areas of the Eastern Caucasus.
MOSCOW, December 8 (RIA Novosti)
