Mar 12, 2015
Amur Leopard strolls through a forest.
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Amur Leopard strolls through a forest.
When people think of leopards, they tend to think of Africa. But an extremely rare subspecies of leopard has adapted to living in the temperate forests of southeastern Russia. Also known as the Far East, Manchurian, and Korean leopard, the Amur leopard is critically endangered, with an estimated only 19 to 26 of these gorgeous cats left in the wild.
The Amur leopards are powerful predators that can run at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour and have been reported to have leapt more than 19 feet horizontally and up to 10 feet vertically. They are nimble-footed and strong, and they tend to carry and hide unfinished kills so that they are not taken by other predators.
Amur leopards are solitary animals, though often the males will stay with the female after mating in order to care for their young. It's also not uncommon for several males to follow one female and fight amongnst each other over her. Their main prey are deer, small wild boars, hares, and raccoon dogs. The Amur leopards tend to live for 10-15 years, and up to 20 years in captivity. The species is severely threatened by poaching, habit loss and climate change.
Are you interested in helping these beautiful animals? There are a few options below.
The Phoenix Fund is an organization that intends to provide anti-poaching protection for the Amur leopards. Phoenix Fund will support law enforcement in preventing the illegal hunting of the Amur leopard. Their website says of their organization:
'We will provide a highly skilled, mobile, law enforcement team with essential equipment and daily allowance for regular anti-poaching patrols to be conducted in the Leopard Land. Our team will help to protect the ecosystem of the forest. We will substantially reduce poaching of the Amur Leopard through strengthening law enforcement and habitat protection, improving data collection and nature protection legislation, educating the public, and engaging local communities in conservation efforts.' They accept donations beginning with $10, and they show what the different amounts of money are going toward. They have currently collected a total of $38,856. Their funding goal is $60,000
You can donate here: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/amur-leopards-conservation/
There is a petition urging International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) — an organization that works to save leopards and other animals around the world — to intervene immediately so as to halt the extinction of the Amur leopard. You can find it here: http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/petition/AmurLeopard
You can also symbolically adopt an Amur leopard from the World Wildlife Federation for three different amounts which are $25, $55, and $100. The proceeds from your donation will be used in the WWF's coservation activites. http://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Amur-Leopard.aspx?sc=AWY1302WC922
Amur Leopard in the snow
Snarling Amur Leopard
Young Amur Leopard at the Colchester Zoo
Amur leopard by PictureByPali
Amur Leopard by Pallatsera