Nat Geo Wild: Serious steps have been taken to protect the Caucasian leopard
The Nat Geo Wild television channel has produced a film about the Caucasian leopard. Photographer and director Adrian Stern carried out filming in Azerbaijan for this purpose. The goal of the expedition was to capture on film the Caucasian leopard, a very rare predator.
In the 44-minute film made in Azerbaijan, Adrian Stern says that he traveled to our country with a group of experts. He notes that the group included a famous African tracker, a Russian scientist, the local “leopard man” Babakhan, and others.
Adrian Stern states that this was his first visit to Azerbaijan and that the modern appearance and beauty of our capital made a pleasant impression on him: “I had never heard anything about Azerbaijan. According to what I was told, leopards that are on the verge of extinction in Europe live in this country. I hope that the local population will help me find the leopards,” Adrian Stern notes.
In the film, Adrian Stern says that he met with Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Huseyngulu Bagirov, and received information on where to start the expedition. He emphasizes that they installed cameras in various locations in Hirkan National Park and, although it was difficult, managed to obtain footage of Caucasian leopards.
The film notes that consistent efforts are being carried out in Azerbaijan to improve the ecological situation and protect the environment. The creative team, who met with Leyla Aliyeva, founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, were informed about the work being done to restore the leopard population. Leyla Aliyeva emphasized that a project is being implemented to restore the leopard population with the support of the IDEA Public Union and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). “The leopard is an invaluable treasure of our country. With the help of IDEA, we will be able to protect leopards and involve other countries and organizations in their conservation. Our main goal is to save these leopards,” Leyla Aliyeva said.
