Anatolian Leopard

Personal memory by Nezih Gizli

The Anatolian leopard, a leopard subspecies native to southwestern Turkey once prowled the forest and hill habitats of the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Eastern Anatolian regions. The last official sighting of the Anatolian leopard was in 1974. The animal was killed after an attack on a woman in Bağözü village, Beypazarı, 5 km from Beypazarı. Some scientists think that the subspecies has become extinct. Its conservation status is "critically endangered" as it has not been officially declared extinct yet but no sightings have been confirmed in almost 40 years!