VTB summed up the results of the competition for choosing a name for a leopard

VTB has held a contest for the most original name for a Far Eastern leopard kitten. The girl, who is just over 1.5 years old, was named Sierra, the bank's press service said. The participants of the contest in social networks offered more than 2,000 variants of names, five of which were shortlisted, and their authors received prizes from VTB and the Primorsky National Park "Land of the Leopard".

As part of the Guardian of the Leopard program, VTB symbolically takes care of a family of big cats: a mother and her three kittens. Earlier in social networks, they chose the name of the head of the cat clan and her son — Gerda and Phoenix. The third kitten will be named when its gender becomes known.

The shortlist of the contest includes the names Skazka, Strawberry, Severina, Primora and Sierra. The results were summed up in VTB social networks. More than 15,000 people took part in the final voting. The authors of the most original names selected for voting were residents of St. Petersburg, Lipetsk and Vladivostok. The name of the favorite was suggested in Rostov-on-Don.

"We see people's attention and concern for the fate of the Far Eastern leopard. The contest participants shared interesting observations and associations that inspired them to choose certain names. In our opinion, such projects help to feel ownership, involve in environmental activities, which means that the word "ecology" becomes more tangible and understandable, pushes people to take real action," commented Petr Shpilenok, Adviser to the President and Chairman of the VTB Board, Director of the Foundation for Nature Defenders.

"The only place in the world where the necessary conditions for the Far Eastern leopard have been preserved is in Primorsky Krai. Our common goal is to take care of this unique territory and its inhabitants. Together with VTB, we continue to monitor the fate of the Gerda, Phoenix and Sierra families," added Viktor Bardyuk, Director of the Land of the Leopard Federal State Budgetary Institution.