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The Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is critically endangered. It is one of the rarest felids in the world with an estimated 27 to 32 individuals remaining in the wild (2007 snow track count).
Its common names are Amur leopard from Amur River or Far Eastern Leopard.
Appearance;
Of the eight subspecies the Amur, or Far Eastern leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) shows the strongest divergence in coat pattern. The coat is light cream (especially in winter) and has widely spaced rosettes with thick, black rings and darkened centres. The length of the coat varies between 2.5cm in summer and 7.5cm in winter.They have light pale blue eyes which seems to make them look more calm then most big cats.there habitat is mostly russia chinakore and china.
Status in the wild and in zoos;
The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is the northernmost of the eight leopard subspecies. The Amur leopard's range is overlapping with that of the Amur tiger or Siberian Tiger which range extends further to the north. The Amur leopard's historic range extended throughout northeastern ("Manchurian") China, the southern part of Primorsky Krai in Russia and the Korean Peninsula. This range shrank dramatically during the 20th century, due primarily to habitat loss and hunting. Today, it is critically endangered with only 27 to 34 individuals remaining in Southwest Primorye. There are probably up to 10 animals scattered throughout the Chinese Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces, with the majority of animals concentrated near the Russian border.
The Amur leopard probably went extinct in the wild in South Korea in the late 1960s, although some recent, unconfirmed reports suggest that a few leopards may remain in and around the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. There are likely still leopards in the rugged northern region of North Korea near the Chinese border, and it is also likely that animals from Southwest Primorye in Russia occasionally cross the border into North Korea, but reliable information is lacking.
The Amur leopard is listed as Endangered by the IUCN and is on CITES Appendix I for protection status.
There are approximately 300 Amur leopards in captivity, mostly in zoos in Europe, North America and countries of the former Soviet Union. And also there are only almost 30 amur leopards were left in the wild. Most, but not all, of these leopards are in zoos participating in managed conservation breeding programmes.
Threats;
· Poaching of leopards and their prey species
Poachers include both poor local villagers and newly rich Russians, mainly from the city of Vladivostok, as well as Chinese nationals who illegally cross the border into Russia. Russian hunters kill many more deer than is officially allowed and Amur leopards are sometimes shot or killed with snares as well. Since 2002 skins or corpses of nine Amur leopards killed by poachers were found in Russia and at least two leopards were killed in China.
· Loss of forest habitat due to frequent fires
The forests on which Amur leopards depend slowly disappear as a result of frequent fires. Local villagers start fires for various reasons, but mainly to stimulate the growth of ferns that are a very popular ingredient in Russian and Chinese dishes.
· Negative impacts of inbreeding
Loss of genetic diversity in the small and isolated Amur leopard population may cause inbreeding depression (reduced numbers due to reduced reproduction and lifespan and increased vulnerability to diseases). However, the results of research so far are inconclusive and additional information on the effects of inbreeding is needed before conclusions can be drawn.
· Development projects
Southwest Primorye is located close to the Russian borders with China and North Korea, making it an attractive area for infrastructure projects such as new railways, gas and oil pipelines and ports. In 2005 and 2006 the Zoological Society of London and other ALTA partners led a successful international campaign against a plan to build an oil pipeline terminal on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the leopard’s range.
· Lack of political commitment to conservation
In recent years nature in Russia has suffered from a lack of political interest in conservation. Negative developments since 2000 include the abolishment of the State Committee for Nature Conservation, revoking the law enforcement rights of Inspection Tiger (an anti-poaching brigade for protection of tigers and leopards), and a reduction of the number of field inspector for protection of forests and animals by approximately 80%.
Conservation;
Significant progress in conserving Amur leopards and tigers has been made over the last decade. A coalition of 13 international and Russian NGOs have pooled resources by creating *ALTA(the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance). ALTA members have been co-operating for many years in developing, financing and implementing conservation projects in Russia and China. Collectively, ALTA members have developed a comprehensive conservation programme for the Amur leopard’s range in Russia and NE China that includes:
1) Anti-poaching 2) Forest fire-fighting 3) Compensation for livestock killed by tigers and leopards 4) A comprehensive education and public awareness programme 5) Population monitoring (Snow-track counts and camera trapping) 6) Ecological and biomedical research 7) Support for protected areas and hunting leases 8) Lobbying for improved conservation policies and regulations 9) Amur leopard conservation in China
ALTA members are not alone in their work for Amur leopard conservation – the Worldwide Fund for Nature www.wwf.ru *(WWF) is also a major contributor.
Ecology;
Male Amur leopards weigh 32-48 kg, with exceptionally large males up to 60-75 kg. Females are smaller than the males at 25-43 kg.
The main prey species of the Amur leopard are roe and sika deer, along with hares and badgers.
Whilst it has been found in other regions that leopards do not do well in areas where they share territory with tigers, this has not proved to be the case in Russia. Studies have indicated that an increased tiger population in the Southwest Primorye area has not adversely affected the leopard population.
Amur leopards in zoos show some evidence of breeding seasonalilty with a peak in births in late spring/early summer. After a gestation period of around 12 weeks cubs are born in litters of 1-4 individuals, with an average litter size of just over 2. The cubs will stay with their mother for up to two years before becoming fully independent. Females first breed at an age of 3-4 years.
In the wild, leopards live for 10-15 years and they may reach 20 years in captivity.
You have to be patient!! Cats like to sleep but in the end something will happen: either they start eating or they go for another place. South of Olifants along the tar, a beautiful leopard in a beautiful tree.
Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)
Amur leopards are one of the most critically endangered big cats in the world, with an estimated 35 individuals only left in the Wild. They are hunted for their thick coats and for their bones for the Traditional Chinese Medicine trade.
Enjoy the beauty of these wild cats while you can.. may be the next generation wouldn't be as lucky as we are!
I really like this shot! Really cute and so sleepy! I also like the fact that the background is black, I didn't need to change a lot on it.
A Day with Leopards (18) - Only when the Puku breaths no more does the Leopard show any aggression towards the Baboons who retreat to a safe distance.
✰ This photo was featured on The Epic Global Showcase here: flavoredtape.com/post/154681943512
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Out of the bush by janakapx on 500px
Botswana Big Cats (15 Images). Continuing the series of images taken recently in Botswana. This group covers a number of groups of lions, some leopard and a pair of cheetah. Many of the lions had been active hunting with kills of buffelo, zebra and even a young elephant. In many cases the animals were resting after a big feed. The leopard had also been hunting and placed a kill in a tree.
The Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is a wild feline predator native to the Russian Far East. It is one of the rarest felines in the world with an estimated 30 to 35 individuals remaining in the wild. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has deemed the Amur leopard critically endangered, meaning that it is considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
taken in Papiliorama (Kerzers / Switzerland) with ..
Pentax K10D & smc PENTAX-DA* 300mm F4 ED [IF] SDM
Today, the Amur leopard inhabits about 5,000 km². The last remaining viable wild population, estimated at less than 40 individuals, is found in a small area in the Russian Province of Primorsky Krai, between Vladivostok and the Chinese border.
In adjacent China, fewer than 10 scattered individuals are estimated to remain. In South Korea, the last record of an Amur leopard dates back to 1969, when a leopard was captured on the slopes of Odo Mountain, in South Kyongsang Province.
They are 10 months old now, twins, a he and a she .. Burgers Zoo Arnhem (NL). In Srilanka there are no winters, that's why this artificial rock is heated ..
this is the male amur leopard at the central florida zoo in sanford. photos at the central florida zoo are tricky because of cages. then again, given the choice of having a cage between us or nothing at all, i think i'd go with the cage =) ... such a gorgeous animal.
on a sad note, there are only 30-40 of these big cats left in the wild and approximately 150 in captivity. because of interbreeding among animals of unknown heritages, only 12 of the captive amurs are purebreds. amur leopards are critically endangered.
View 'amur leopard' against solid black: standard size or larger.
-Added to the Cream of the Crop pool as most interesting.