Archive for the 'Amur Leopard' category

Only 25-35 of these cats remain in the Russian Far East. A team from the Wildlife Conservation Society capture a female Amur leopard to help with conservation efforts.

Copyright (C) Harrington Photography

From Harrington Photography.

Nick Jewell has shot new images of the young cubs of Marley Farm – Wildlife Heritage Foundation. These Amur leopards are growing fast and start to show their teeth.

Photo Nick Jewell

Photo Nick Jewell

The Amur Leopard (from the name of the river flowing at the border between Russia and China, or Far Eastern leopard, Panthera pardus orientalis) is quite certainly the rarest and most endangered big cat in the world because of a wild population of only 30 to 35 individuals [1].

ALTA (the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance) regroups 13 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that decided to fight for the preservation of these animals. Here is a 10-min video presenting the Amur Leopard and the Alliance.

Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis). Pittsburgh Zoo. Colin Hines.

When you are the rarest wild big cat, you deserve some unusual attention. This is what explains the special treatment of the Amur Leopard or Far Eastern Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis). It is widely considered as the single most endangered species of big cats with less than 50 individuals living in the wild (and only 10 to 15 females among them).

Because of this status, in order to evaluate very precisely the medical condition of the population, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Biology and Soils (IBS) captured one female Far Eastern leopard in Primorsky Krai along the Russian-Chinese border. The aim is to do a medical checkup and to study the effects of the intense inbreeding of such a small animal population.

The animal, nicknamed “Alyona”, is in good health for its 8-10 years of age, but with a slight heart murmur that may be indicative of a genetic condition since it was also shared by other animals captured in 2006 and 2007 for the same reasons. It has already been released.

Source: Science Daily.

PS: Did you see the lovely eyes of this leopard?