AMUR LEOPARD
Panthera pardus orientalis
The Amur leopard is a subspecies of the leopard found in temperate forests between the Russian Far East and China. The species is adapted for both warm summers and cold winters of the region. This big cat has a stocky, muscular build, a thick tail and broad face with small, rounded ears. The dense coat of the Amur leopard ranges from tan to orange in base color, with a white belly. The body of the animal is covered in black rosettes,
Amur leopards have been declared Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In 1970 there were thought to be only 30 individuals left in the wild. While habitat degradation and low prey availability are factors threatening their survival, the main reason for their extremely low population numbers is overhunting. This is due to their furs being highly sought after in the fur trade. Captive breeding programs and conservation efforts mean that their numbers are now slowly recovering. However, despite protective measurements even today the species is under threat from poaching, and the low genetic diversity in Amur leopards that resulted from low population numbers lead to high infant mortality.
In 2012, the Russian government declared an area containing 60% of the remaining Amur leopards to be a national park, and conservationists are campaigning to increase the boundaries of this park into the Chinese areas of the leopard's habitat.
Source: https://youtu.be/CVlyW-USu3o