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Article by Nuriah Sophie Helms (21.11.2024)
THE AMUR LEOPARD (Panthera pardus orientalis)
When most people think of leopards, they picture the warm and sun-soaked savannas in Africa. But in the remote, snowy forest in the Russian Far East, there resides a rare subspecies who have uniquely adapted to the completely different climate. Say hello to one of the rarest big cats in the world, the Amur Leopard. These elusive and beautiful creatures roam their frigid terrain with strength and power. Unfortunately, these remarkable creatures are in a battle for their survival. As critically endangered and continuously teetering towards the edge of their extinction, their survival heavily relies on the actions of conservation efforts.
With a thick, pale coat with black rosettes designed to seamlessly blend into the snowy, forested terrain of their habitat, the Amur Leopard has adapted to thrive in their frigid and mountainous landscape. Known for their agility and strength, these majestic creatures can run up to speeds of 60 kilometres per hour and jump to heights of six metres. They are largely solitary animals by nature, spending most of their lives alone. They only briefly come together for mating purposes, some males even staying with the female to help rear their young. As solitary hunters, they don’t have the luxury that pack/group-oriented animals have for food security, so these leopards cleverly have a habit of hiding unfinished prey. This helps it independently secure meals over several days. This also allows them to conserve the energy they need to survive the harsh and demanding environment, as well as maximise each hunt as food is scarce.
The Amur leopard as a species largely resides in temperate forests of the Russian Far East, preferring areas with dense cover for camouflage and hunting. Some individuals are possibly found in northeastern China. Unlike the vast territory of the habitat available to their African counterparts, the Amur leopard’s territory is shrinking rapidly due to human activity. Their already limited range has been drastically reduced due to human encroachment, deforestation, and development, leaving these leopards fewer safe spaces to roam and hunt.
Sadly, the Amur Leopard's most captivating features — such as their striking thick coat — have also made them targets of illegal poaching, one of the primary reasons for their rapid decline. Despite there being laws against hunting them, poachers continue to kill them, motivated by the demand on the black market for leopard skin and the use of their bones for traditional medicine. Even a single poaching incident has a significant impact on their small population, as in the wild it is estimated to number fewer than 100 individuals.
Human expansion also threatens their dwindling population as it erodes their habitat. The forests they rely on are being destroyed for logging, farming, and development projects, which leaves them with fragmented and degraded habitats. This not only limits their hunting ground and restricts their movement — which makes it harder for young leopards to establish territories, which then in turn weakens the population's chance at growth — but also affects the population of prey animals, such as deer and hares, which the Amur Leopard relies on for food. With the number of prey diminishing, out of hunger, these leopards are forced to roam wider areas in search of substance, further increasing their vulnerability to threats, including increasing their encounters with human poachers.
A further threat to their survival is of genetic decline. Due to the small population size, potential inbreeding poses a serious risk, leading to genetic degeneration that could threaten the population even without direct human influence. The remaining Amur leopards have remarkably low genetic diversity, a likely result of a population bottleneck and inbreeding over multiple generations. This genetic reduction is associated with reproductive and congenital issues that impede health, survival, and reproduction. Indicators of this problem include a decline in cub survival rates over time, from 1.9 cubs per female in 1973 to just 1.0 by 1991. With lower rates of natural replacement and high mortality risks from disease or human impact, the Amur leopard’s future remains uncertain.
On the bright side, however, conservationists are making significant efforts to pull the Amur Leopard back from the brink of extinction. One such effort includes establishing protected areas, such as Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park (in Russian: национа́льный парк «Земля́ леопа́рда»), which spans 2,799 kilometres and provides a safe haven for Amur leopards and other wildlife. Within these protected boundaries, leopards can roam without the immediate threat of poaching or habitat destruction. Since opening in 2012, the Amur Leopard’s population has increased threefold, from a mere 30 individuals to over 84.
In captivity, breeding programs work to ensure the genetic diversity and growth of the Amur leopard population. Organizations like the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) are focused on breeding leopards with the aim of potentially reintroducing them to the wild, strengthening the population and helping to preserve the species.
Additional efforts include: reduced poaching includingregular patrols, harsher penalties for violators, and tighter monitoring of protected areas. Surveillance cameras and GPS tracking are used to keep a closer watch on both the leopards and potential poachers, though enforcement remains a significant challenge due to the remoteness of their habitat. The government, with the assistance of wildlife preservation organisations such as WWF and TRAFFIC, have established international trade restrictions on Amur leopard products. Amur leopards are listed on CITES Appendix I, prohibiting all commercial trade in the species.
The Amur leopard is more than just a pretty face for an animal; it plays a critical role in maintaining the balance of its ecosystem. As an apex predator, it helps regulate prey populations, which in turn supports the health of the forest. Losing the Amur leopard would not only mean the extinction of a unique subspecies but would also disrupt the delicate balance of its habitat, leading to unforeseen consequences in the ecosystem.
What can YOU do?
WWF offers a charming donation program where, with your contribution, you can symbolically adopt an animal and receive an adorable plush version of that species as a keepsake.
You can also contribute directly to Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park to support its vital conservation efforts.
Sources:
“Amur Leopard | Species | WWF.” World Wide Fund for Nature, www.worldwildlife.org/species/amur-leopard. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.
Eia. “24 Firms in China Exposed for Using Bones of Endangered Leopards in Traditional Medicines.” EIA, Environmental Investigation Agency, 3 Apr. 2020, eia-international.org/press-releases/24-firms-in-china-exposed-for-using-bones-of-endangered-leopards-in-traditional-medicines/.
“The Land of the Leopard National Park.” Wild Edens Project, 30 Nov. 2018, wild-edens.com/the-land-of-the-leopard-national-park/.
“Reintroduction of Top-Order Predators.” Google Books, Google, books.google.de/books?id=2wgnHCpoY1oC&pg=PA393&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
“Земля Леопарда. Где Живут Самые Редкие Большие Кошки Планеты.” ПроЗаповедник, 17 Sept. 2024, prozapovednik.ru/natsionalnyj-park-zemlya-leoparda/.
“Национа́льный Парк «Земля́ Леопа́рда».” Leopard, leopard-land.ru/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
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