Three-Legged Leopard Travels from Armenia to Georgia

Posted on September, 17 2025

A male leopard Aren, first recorded in 2019 in Armenia, Arpa Protected Landscape, has been captured by trail cameras in Georgia’s Algeti National Park, demonstrating the effectiveness of Armenian-led conservation initiatives and the importance of cross-border wildlife protection.

The leopard was captured near a maral (red deer) reintroduction enclosure in Algeti National Park. WWF teams from Armenia and Georgia, in collaboration with WWF Germany, matched the footage with camera-trap records from Armenia and confirmed Aren's identity. The discovery marks only the third confirmed Leopard sighting in Georgia in 20 years.

Arens was first recorded in Armenia in spring 2019. In autumn 2019, the leopard lost his front left leg, but he recovered fully and remained in the area until the end of 2022, successfully hunting, as confirmed by footage from WWF-Armenia trail cameras. He then disappeared from view and, at the end of 2024, unexpectedly appeared in the Ijevan Forest of Tavush Province, about 150 kilometers from the ARPA Protected Landscape, once again confirming local reports of leopards in the area. Following this, we lost the leopard's tracks again, and now—almost a year later—he has reappeared in our camera traps, this time in Algeti National Park, Georgia, where he was recorded three days ago.

Yet anoter reminder of the importance of intact habitats, wildlife corridors and cross-border cooperation.

Since 2002, WWF Armenia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment of RA, has been implementing the Leopard Conservation in Armenia project, including monitoring leopards and their prey. The program is funded by WWF Germany and WWF Switzerland