Hassan Pahlavan, the head of the public relations office of North Khorasan Department of Environment, said the increase in the number of spotted leopards follows the improved living conditions for the endangered species in the region.

The springtime showers across the country have hugely contributed to the increase of prey and the improvement of living conditions for such animals, he added.

Persian leopards are among the most endangered species in the world. Big cats have been listed as "endangered" in the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Iran is one of their main habitats.

Reduced prey population and shrinkage of their natural habitat are threatening the big cats. Bamou National Park in the southern Fars province is one of the main habitats of the Persian leopard