Ecologists in Russia`s Far Eastern Primorye Territory will count endangered Amur leopards inhabiting the region, Sergei Aramilev of WWF`s Russian branch said on Monday.

The Amur leopard, also known as the Manchurian, or Far Eastern leopard, is one of the rarest large cats in the world. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has included the Amur leopard in its list of critically endangered animals.

According to the latest count held in the winter of 2009, less then 40 Amur leopards live in Russia`s taiga.

The ecologists will count the animals using snow-track and camera-trap monitoring, as well as by conducting DNA tests of leopards` excrements, Aramilev said.

"The WWF is funding the count of leopards, which will be held by specialists of the Primorye Territory`s [hunt watchdog] Okhotnadzor. They will work in the taiga several days, and then summarize the results," he said.
sections: Society, Nature & Health, Celebrities