The Anatolian Leopard (Panthera Pardus Tulliana) was historically inhabited much of Turkey. Habitats included forests, rocky hills, and mountainous areas in the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Eastern Anatolia regions. It was driven to the extinction by the late 20th century due to hunting, habitat loss, and prey depletion. The leopard was last seen and hunted in 1974 near Beypazari town in Ankara province. For a long time, the Anatolian Leopard was considered extinct within Turkey. Then, a sporadic evidence from a trap camera photo in the Karçal mountains in northeastern Turkey in 2013, and more recent ones, brought up the possibility that a very small number of individuals persist. However, definitive proof of a viable, breeding population across Turkey remains elusive despite ongoing research. Its status is best described as critically endangered and highly uncertain within Turkey's borders.
Modern genetic studies often lump the Anatolian Leopard with the Persian Leopard (Panthera Pardus Saxicolor). This means the leopards historically found in Anatolia are considered genetically very close to those found in the Caucasus, Iran, and Central Asia.
The leopard, if still exists, is strictly protected under the Turkish law.