Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests at the highest elevations. Other native tree species include Caspian Locust ("Gleditsia caspica"), Velvet Maple ("Acer velutinum"), Cappadocian Maple ("Acer cappadocicum"), European Ash ("Fraxinus excelsior"), Wych Elm ("Ulmus glabra"), Wild Cherry ("Prunus avium"), Wild Service Tree ("Sorbus torminalis") and lime tree ("Tilia platyphyllos"). The Caspian tiger ("Panthera tigris virgata") once roamed these mountains, but is now extinct. Other large mammals here are the Caucasus leopard ("Panthera pardus ciscaucasica"), lynx ("Lynx lynx"), brown bear ("Ursus arctos"), wild boar ("Sus scrofa"), wolf ("Canis lupus"), golden jackal ("Canis aureus"), jungle cat ("Felis chaus"), badger ("Meles meles"), and otter ("Lutra lutra"). This ecoregion is
Premiership of Meles Zenawi belonged to Eritrea, Ethiopia continued to maintain a presence of Ethiopian soldiers in the town. In the 2000 general elections, Meles was reelected Prime Minister, and his ruling EPRDF party shared parliament seats with the opposition party United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF). According to observers organized by Ethiopian Human Rights Council, local U.N. staff, diplomatic missions, political parties, and domestic non-governmental organizations, both the general and the regional elections that year were generally free and fair in most areas; however, serious election irregularities occurred in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR), particularly in the Hadiya Zone. Since the