British scientific expedition in Primorye

A British scientific expedition has arrived in Vladivostok to investigate the fate of Far Eastern leopards and Amur tigers, both of which are rare species listed in the International Red Book.

According to Sergei Bereznyuk, the Director of Primorye's nature preservation fund Phoenix, the expedition unites British embassy employees, officials from the British charity organization Amur, the companies Land Rover and Castrol, and BBC journalists.

The guests are planning to visit the Ussuri nature reserve, test photographic traps in action, view the territory inhabited by leopards, and familiarize themselves with preservation methods, with the public firefighting team Fauna, and with ecological educational projects the Phoenix fund implements in the Khasan district.

Journalists are intending to shoot a film about the rare beasts and the international preservation program. The latest count made in the southern part of Russia's Far East revealed that the territory was inhabited by more than 400 Amur tigers and only 50 Far Eastern leopards.

The expedition's effort will be supported by the Phoenix fund and the Wildlife Conservation International Society.