ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />Russia President Vladimir Putin visited on Tuesday (February 4) an animal reserve for endangered snow leopards in Sochi, where he arrived ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympics.<br/> <br />Putin stroked the head of the endangered animal for a few minutes before pledging to act for its regeneration.<br/> <br />The snow leopard is one of the three official mascots of the Olympics. The other two are a polar bear and a hare.<br/> <br />Putin, who was largely responsible for Sochi's successful bid to host the 2014 Games, said at the time of choosing the mascots that a snow leopard would be his "symbolic choice."<br/> <br />He came out of the enclosure thrilled by his brief encounter.<br/> <br />"We liked each other, ask him ! I like animals," Putin said.<br/> <br />"As you know and we talked about it a lot, leopards became extinct here in the 1950s because of poaching. And now in connection with the Olympic games we say we will be restoring the population," Putin said.
