Sochi National Park (Russian: Сочинский национальный парк, also Sochinsky National Park) is the oldest national park in Russia. It was created on May 5, 1983, and is located in the Western Caucasus region, close to the city of Sochi in southern Russia.

Topography

Sochi National Park is part of the Western Caucasus World Heritage Site and covers an area of 1,937.37 square kilometres (478,730 acres). It is located in the Greater Sochi region, starting at the border with the Tuapsinsky District and extending from the mouths of the Shepsi River and Magri River in the north-west. The park ends at the border with Abkhazia along the Psou River in the south-east and reaches from the Black Sea to the highest point of the Greater Caucasus mountain range. The Caucasus Nature Reserve lies directly to the north of the park. Sochi National Park does not include areas where people live, such as the city of Sochi or other urban and rural settlements. It also does not include the area of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve.

Persian leopard re-introduction

In 2009, a Persian Leopard Breeding and Rehabilitation Centre was established in Sochi National Park. Two male leopards from Turkmenistan arrived there in September 2009. Two female Persian leopards from Iran were brought to the park in May 2010. Their offspring will be released into the Caucasus Biosphere Reserve. Persian leopards were once common in the mountain area between the Black and Caspian Seas. However, their numbers dropped sharply during the 20th century because of hunting and loss of habitat. In 2012, a pair of Persian leopards was moved to Sochi National Park from Lisbon Zoo in Portugal. In July 2013, the pair gave birth to cubs, the first Persian leopard cubs born in Russia in 50 years. The cubs will be released into the wild after learning survival skills from their parents, according to Natalia Dronova, the WWF-Russia species coordinator.