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We were hurrying to get back to the lodge before dark when we spotted this leopard.So we took a few minutes to watch and video the sighting.
This is Xizi. She is 4 years old and WHF's only female Amur Leopard. She is a very important cat and is part of a breeding pair in a managed international breeding programme.
The reason for the programme? There are less than 20 Amur Leopards left in the wild and less than 7 of these are females.
The Amur Leopard differs from its African counterpart. It has much longer fur, up to 7cm in winter. It also has darker, more prominent spots.
It has a creamy coloured coat that changes tone through the seasons to help it camouflage better. The Amur Leopard is a very strong, thickset animal. It can leap 20 feet in one jump.
The Amur Leopard is a formidable hunter. It hunts mainly at night, seeking out Roe Deer (right),Sika Deer, Hare and Badgers.
The snow leopard or ounce (Panthera uncia syn. Uncia uncia) is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because, as of 2003, the size of the global population was estimated at 4,080–6,590 adults, of which fewer than 2,500 individuals may reproduce in the wild.[1]
Drawing from the latest available data, the Global Snow Leopard and Eco-System Protection Program (GSLEP)[3] uses an estimate of between 3,920 and 6,390 individuals in the wild.
A book chapter published in 2016 by Peter Zahler et al. indicates that the number of wild snow leopards may currently be between 4,700 and 8,700 individuals, raising the numbers of the population across 44 percent of their range.[4] However, the scientific validity of this higher estimate has been put in question by other conservation scientists.[4][5]
Snow leopards inhabit alpine and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m (9,800 to 14,800 ft). In the northern range countries, they also occur at lower elevations.[6]
Taxonomically, the snow leopard was classified as Uncia uncia since the early 1930s.[2] Based on genotyping studies, the cat has been considered a member of the genus Panthera since 2008.[1][7] Two subspecies have been attributed, but genetic differences between the two have not been settled.[1]
The snow leopard is the National Heritage Animal of Afghanistan and Pakistan.[8]
This picture was taken at Duma Tau Camp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
Our trip was planned by Africa Adventure Company who we strongly recommend.
I bought this Leopard-print African Shirt in Swakpomund,Namibia (read about my trip here)
For MSH - An item of clothing that makes you feel good! How could it not?