Amur leopard
About the species
The population and distribution of the Amur leopard has been reduced to a fraction of its former size. It is estimated that 80% of its range was lost between 1970 and 1983. Today, the Amur leopard lives in the Primorskii region of Russia − a 5,000 sq km area between Vladivostok and the Chinese border.
The Amur leopard, also known as the Far East Leopard, is listed as Critically Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. With fewer than 35 left in the wild, it is considered the world’s most endangered cat.
The Amur leopard can be distinguished from other leopard subspecies by the widely spaced rosettes with thick borders on its coat.
Problems and threats
Loss of its forest habitat and retaliatory killings by farmers are amongst the most significant threats facing the Amur leopard.
Logging, forest fires and the conversion of forest for agriculture are the main causes of habitat loss. Over-poaching of roe and sika deers, their main prey species, means Amur leopards have to seek out other prey to sustain themselves. Amur leopards will also eat small wild boars, hares and badgers but, in the absence of wild prey, they may venture into deer farms in search of food; farmers can be quick to react and leopards have been shot by farmers protecting their livelihoods.
Despite their Critically Endangered status, Amur leopards are still poached for their skins and for use of their bones in traditional medicines. Agricultural land and villages surround their remaining forest habitat, making access relatively easy for poachers.
WWF in action
WWF is working in the Amur-Heilong region, which straddles the border between north-eastern China and the Russian Far East. This 1,550 sq km area is a key habitat for the Amur leopard but also contains one the most biologically diverse temperate forests in the world.
WWF is working with local communities, regional authorities, government and other non-governmental organisations to save the Amur leopard and ensure the long-term conservation of the region. This work includes increasing areas of protected land, reducing illegal and unsustainable logging practices, facilitating trade between companies committed to responsible forestry practices, and increasing numbers of wild deer and boar.
WWF also works with TRAFFIC (the wildlife trade monitoring network) to help governments enforce trade restrictions on Amur leopard products.