Amur Leopard

Common names:  Amur leopard, Far-East leopard, Siberian leopard, Manchurian leopard, Korean leopard.

The rarest and arguably a contender for the most beautiful of the cats, it is surprising that the Amur Leopard Panthera pardus orientalis is not regarded as a national treasure. The unfortunate reality is that it is perilously close to extinction. An April 2007 census shows between 25 and 34 are left in the wild which makes it numerically the most critically endangered wild cat whose numbers are known.

The most northern of the Leopard species and named for the Amur River that forms a long border between Russia and China in the area east of Mongolia, the Amur leopard has adaptations for the cold, harsh environment and deep snow. Its legs are longer and it has a thick winter coat and long thick tail for wrapping and insulation. Coat colour and pattern are broadly associated with habitat type and season. Their fur is orange coloured in summer months and around 2.5 cm thick and takes on a paler shade and grows to about 7 cm in length during the winter months. There are large black spots on the head, lower limbs and tail, and large widely spaced, thickly bordered black rosettes on the back, upper body and upper limbs. The underside of the body is whitish in colour.

Leopards are often confused with the jaguar Panthera onca of Central and South America, but the former is smaller and slimmer with a longer tail and smaller head. A leopard’s fur can also be differentiated by the empty centre of the rosette whereas the Jaguar’s is more often filled with a central solid smudge or dot of black and in overall appearance is more densely patterned.

Leopards are sleek, athletic and agile and the Amur Leopard is no exception. Like the Snow Leopard Uncia uncia, it is a good climber and jumper, using its long thick tail to aid in balance when making leaps of 6 meters or more horizontally and more than 3 meters vertically. Males are generally 50% larger than females, female weight varying from 25 to 59 kg (55 -130 lbs), male 32 to 91kg (70 to 200 lbs). Estimates of the weight of remaining wild Amur leopards appear to be on the low end of the scale.

In common with other leopards, Amur Leopards are opportunist hunters and their natural diet includes roe deer, sika deer, musk deer, wild boar, hares, badgers and small rodents.  To reduce direct competition, Amur Leopards avoid hunting or living too closely to the larger and more powerful Siberian Tiger Panthera tigris altaica although their two ranges do overlap.

Roe and Sika deer are an important part of the Amur’s diet. The clearing of forests and human subsistence hunting that has reduced the deer numbers over the last 30 years is, along with poaching, largely responsible for the rapid decline in the Amur Leopard population. As hunters depleted the Amur’s natural prey they have turned to domestic deer and further incited persecution from deer farmers.

The proximity of human activity plus natural disasters like forest fires causes the remaining Amur population to fragment, resulting in a far more serious impact on breeding success than the area of habitat lost would suggest. Like most wild cats, Amur Leopards will normally avoid both human activity and crossing open areas with no cover such as those caused by forest fires, farming or logging. The consequences are isolated “islands” of habitat, restricted genetic exchange and eventual in-breeding and population decline.

The Amur Leopard is solitary, nocturnal and marks its territory, which is large at around 78 sq. km (30 sq. miles), with urine and scrape marks. Its former habitat and much larger numbers in the 60’s and 70’s included south east Russia, Manchuria in northern China and both North and South Korea’s. Currently they are thought to only exist in a small part of south east Russia with a faint possibility of existence in a geographically distant part of North Korea. Sexually mature at around 3 years, they breed in January and February and their gestation period is 90 -105 days. In the right conditions up to six cubs may be born, those being weaned at about 3 months and leaving their mother at 18-24 months. The average number of cubs born in recent years may now be one or less.

With concerted effort the Siberian Tiger recovered from a low of 50 to the present estimate of over 400 cats due to anti poaching patrols, removal of snares, education programs and livestock compensation. One can only hope the same dedication and success will be accorded the Amur Leopard. Some positive signs are that a recent proposal for a pipeline through Amur habitat was diverted, programs to stop both poaching and trafficking in body parts are in place, and efforts to increase hoofed prey species are getting support. There is also a proposal to unify three protected areas to better control hunting of the Amur’s prey and stop the encroachment of towns and farms.

Cites has placed the Amur Leopard, along with all other leopards, on Cites Appendix I.