This is the moment a graceful Amur leopard is captured in camera trap footage scent marking its territory and using a tree ‘bridge’ to cross a river.

The two clips were recorded on a capture camera in the Land of the Leopard National Park, in Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East in June this year (2024).

The big cat was captured walking around its territory early in the morning.

Experts from “Land of the Leopard”, considered the ‘most thickly cat-populated’ specially protected natural area (SPNA) in Russia, said in a statement obtained by Clipzilla: “The Amur leopard will definitely smell everything that can be smelled.

“Among all the options for “communication” between big cats and the outside world, the most significant is smell.

“Scent marks inform other individuals about the physical and physiological state of the owner of the territory.

“By the way, at the end of the video we see how the handsome spotted creature “connects” to the forest “chat” and actively “writes” something there.

“The graceful big cat is busy walking around its territory early in the morning. And even the river is not an obstacle for such an important matter.

“Don’t forget that leopards are cats, albeit large ones. They are not particular “fans” of water. Moreover, getting his fur wet and then doing grooming, it seems, was not part of the spotted one’s plans.

“Therefore, logs like the ones in the video serve as natural “bridges” for large cats.

“If a leopard has the opportunity to bypass/cross a water obstacle, he will definitely take advantage of it.

“By the way, during the crossing, the brave cat also managed to enjoy the beauty of the river, and only after that he went about his leopard business.”