A Persian leopard was captured on cameras late last week while drinking from a waterhole in Ashk Island of Urmia Lake, West Azarbaijan Province.
According to Parviz Arasteh, head of the provincial office of the Department of Environment, due to the desiccation of the lake's southern part, the land has been connected to Ashk Island, allowing the big cats into the natural habitat of another rare species, the Persian fallow deer.
"Besides leopards, wolves and jackals are also among the new guests entering the island," IRNA quoted him as saying.
Presence of natural games, including wild sheep, Armenian mouflon, fallow deer and available freshwater is the reason why the predators have made their way into the island, Arasteh added.
As environmental experts maintain, the Persian leopard is endemic to natural regions of Maragheh but has been moving around to find a secure habitat with sufficient sources of food.
Arasteh added that the increase in predator numbers on the island can be a threat to the population of the rare fallow deer, so measures are required to protect the species.
Ashk Island, one of the nine islands in Urmia Lake, has been the most secure habitat for the deer over the past two decades.
