Taxonomy
| Amur leopard | ||
| Panthera pardus ssp. orientalis | ||
| Kingdom | Animalia | |
| Phylum | Chordata | |
| Class | Mammalia | |
| Order | Carnivora | |
| Family | Felidae | |
| Genus | Panthera | |
| Species | pardus | |
| Subspecies | orientalis | |
Description
The Amur leopard is considered to be one of the most critically endangered big cats in the world, with just about 50 (census 2013) remaining in the wild, all in the Russian Far East. It is one of ten living subspecies of leopard (according to the most recent genetic study) but it is especially distinctive due to a particularly pale coat compared to most other subspecies, and dark rosettes which are large and widely spaced with thick, unbroken rings with dark centres. It also has a longer tail than other leopards. This beautiful leopard is well adapted to living in the harsh, cold climates of its range, with a thick coat that can grow as long as 7,5 cm in winter. Leopards give a distinctive rasping call, rather than a growl, as their main vocalisation.
Leopards are predominately solitary and are active mainly during the night. Individuals occupy large, overlapping home ranges that vary in size depending on the abundance of prey.
Leopards are skilful hunters, stalking their prey to within a striking distance of a few metres, and feeding opportunistically on a wide range of animals. The Amur leopard feeds mainly on hares (Lepus spp.), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and sika deer (Cervus nippon).
Population size & trend
| Estimated population size: | 30 - 50 |
| Trend: | declining |
Geographical range & habitat
The range of the Amur leopard previously encompassed the Amur River basin and the mountains of northeastern China and the Korean peninsula. Today, it survives only in one isolated population in the Russian Far East, although there may be a few individuals the Jilin Province of northeast China. Amur leopards live in the temperate forests of Far Eastern Russia, that experience harsh winters with extreme cold and deep snow. It occurs in any area that provides reasonable cover in these forests. |
Biology
| Female weight: | 25 - 43 kg |
| Male weight: | 32 - 48 kg, but up to 75 kg is possible |
| Age to maturity: | females first breed at an age of 3 - 4 years |
| Gestation period: | circa 12 weeks |
| Birth rate | average litter size of 2 (1 - 4) |
| Life span: | 10 - 15 years (20 years in captivity) |
Conservation & status
| Conservation: | The leopard is protected but a proactive conservation effort is needed immediately if one of the most stunning of the big cats is to be saved from extinction. Efforts to save the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) in the same area are showing signs of success but the leopard has been largely overlooked until now. NGOs such as Phoenix, supported by funds from the Tigris Foundation, AMUR and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), carry out anti-poaching patrols, firefighting and education programmes as well as providing compensation funds for local livestock. Population monitoring and ecological studies are spearheaded by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) working with Russian scientists. An area in China's Jilin province has recently been set aside for the creation of a National Park, in order to safeguard the remnant population there. Moscow Zoo and the London Zoological Society oversee the captive breeding programme, which provides funds for conservation projects and acts as a reservoir of replacement stock for the wild should it be so needed. But there is still a huge amount of work to be done to prevent the imminent extinction of the Amur leopard. The Amur leopard is probably the only large cat for which a reintroduction program using zoo stock is considered a necessary conservation action with some prospect of taking place in the near future. If the plans currently in preparation are approved by the Russian authorities, releases would take place in or near the Lazovsky Nature Reserve in Southern Sikhote Alin (see map below), an area where leopards disappeared approximately 30 years ago. With improved conservation in both Russia and China, an increase could be expected in the present population in the wild from 30-40 animals to approximately 80 animals in 15-20 years. A recent census (2013) in the Russian Far East revealed a total number of about 50 individuals. ALTA hopes a second population of at least 30 animals will also have been established by that time. |
| IUCN Red list status: | Critically endangered (Red list) |
| CITES status: | Appendix I (Appendices) |
Threats
| The Amur leopard has been systematically hunted out of most of its former range for its coat and for the bones that are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The local ungulates that make up the majority of this leopard's prey have also been greatly depleted, leading the leopards to concentrate on domestic livestock, including farmed deer, and therefore inciting further persecution. The tiny population that survives today is under extreme risk of extinction; genetic variation is low in small populations which leads to inbreeding (the amur leopard was found to have the lowest levels of genetic variation of any leopard subspecies) and they are extremely vulnerable to any chance event such as an epidemic or large wild fire. Poaching remains a threat in Russia and annual wild fires rage through the area. In addition a variety of proposed economic development, including the building of an oil pipeline, threatens the last wilderness refuge of these big cats. Last but not least lack of political commitment to any conservation effort is a threat to the survival of this beautiful species. |
Zoos
| There are approximately 300 Amur leopards in captivity, mostly in zoos in Europe, North America and countries of the former Soviet Union. Most, but not all, of these leopards are in zoos participating in managed conservation breeding programmes. Zoo support has been and remains crucial to the survival of the amur leopard. Apart from captive breeding zoos have generated about half the funds spent on the amur leopard conservation to date. Whether as direct donations from many zoos or via grants obtained by zoos and funds raised from the public through the ALTA website. Zoos with amur leopardsA reintroduction plan of captive-borne Amur leopards is currently (autumn 2011) being reviewed by the Russion authorities. (More information here) | ||
| Studbooks | ||
| ISB: | Keeper: British & Irish Association of Zoos & Aquariums, U.K. | ISB = International Studbook (WAZA) EEP = European Endangered species Programme (EAZA) ESB = European Studbook (EAZA) SSP = Species Survival plan Program (AZA) ASMP = Australasian Species Management Program (ZAA) |
| EEP: | Coordinator: Zoological Society London, U.K. | |
| ESB: | ||
| SSP: | Programme leader: Minnesota Zoological Gardens, U.S.A. | |
| ASMP: | ||
References
Sources used
- ALTA
- ARKIVE
- IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group
- Building a Future for Wildlife: Zoos and Aquariums committed to biodiversity conservation (Ed. Gerald Dick & Markus Gusset); WAZA, 2010
More information
- UNEP
Video
Argun and Anuy playing when they were cubs at Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Ashford. They're quite big now! © Jackie Thomas / Wildlife Heritage Foundation
