AMUR LEOPARD
STATUS: Critically endangered
LATIN NAME: Panthera Pardus Orientalis
AT THE WILDLIFE PARK
We now have 3 Amur Leopards at the park – new arrival Luna and Brothers Anik & Kazimir!
Luna, our beautiful female Amur Leopard, arrived on 31st July 2024 from Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens. Though she’s only been here a short while, she’s already stolen the hearts of our staff and visitors alike! As she settles into her new home, she’s beginning to show her true personality—a sassy, sneaky, and playful girl with plenty of attitude. You can try to spot her in her new home – left section of the old Lion enclousure.
Anik & Kazimir are very playful, inquisitive & confident, with Anik being the more dominant one. They both love interacting with enrichment but after being fed they prefer to find a comfy position up on a high platform and either survey the area or sleep.
Please note that the Leopard brothers are currently off show but Anik will soon be moving next to Luna once his enclosure is complete, and if all goes well, we could be welcoming baby leopards in the near future!
Amur Leopards are critically endangered with approx. only 100 left in the wild and our brothers are part of a breeding program that will help reintroduce Amur leopards back to the wild. Learn more about our project Amur Leopard: Back to the Wild >> HERE <<
You can donate to our project >> HERE <<
HABITAT
Amur Leopards can be found in Russia, Far East & North East China in boreal forests, lowland forests, grasslands and mountains.
WILD DIET
They are carnivores and their diet in the wild consists of roe deer, wild boar, hare and sika deer.
BEHAVIOUR & BREEDING
Amur Leopards live and hunt alone unless they are in a mating pair or a female with cubs. A female will start breeding for 3 – 4 years old and give birth to a litter of 1 – 6 cubs (2 average). Cubs are weaned at three months of age but stay with their mother for 2 years to learn to hunt.
They can kill and drag up to three times their own weight into a tree to avoid competition from other predators.
THREATS & CONSERVATION
As Apex Predators they are at the top of the food chain and aren’t prayed upon by any other animal.
Due to habitat loss and hunting they are critically endangered, 2016 count was 60 individuals left in the wild and that number is decreasing. Amur Leopards are on the CITES Appendix meaning that international trade of Amur Leopards or any parts is prohibited.
Conservation includes educating people about the importance of them, monitoring their habitat and numbers, and breeding programs to maintain a safety net of numbers within the zoo community.
You can learn more about our project Amur Leopard: Back to the Wild >> HERE <<
FUN & INTERESTING FACTS
Unlike other cats, Amur Leopards are strong swimmers and are one of few cats that like water.