Georgia is particularly rich in mineral and thermal waters (more than 2000 springs). According to Dr. Mikhail Zhukov, expert World Wildlife Found(WWF): “No other European country disposes of such rich flora and fauna as Georgia. On the territory of Europe, on such a small area you will see nowhere so various relief. At the same time you will find no country in Europe preserved in such primitive state”. Georgian flora and fauna feature high biological diversity. The rich variation in topography, climate and geology has resulted in a diverse selection of habitats that include wetlands, peat bogs, sub alpine coniferous forests, steppe grasslands, beech forests, and oak woodlands, which support over 2000 varieties of species. The animal kingdom is highly diverse; suffice it to say that in Georgia there are around 100 species of animals, more than 330 sorts of birds, 48 kinds of reptiles, 11 sorts of amphibious, and up to 160 kinds of fishes registered. Such biological diversity of flora and fauna is a good precondition to create a National Park.
In 2003, a spectacular discovery was made: remote sensing cameras captured an adult male Anatolian Leopard in the Vashlovani National Park. This beautiful but critically endangered animal had been considered long extinct in Georgia.