Far East leopard. Far Eastern leopard or Amur leopard

The rarest cat in the world, the number of which in nature is about 70 individuals.

Systematics

The Russian name of the subspecies is Amur or Korean leopard, Far Eastern leopard, East Siberian leopard
Latin name - Panthera pardus orientalis
English name- Amur leopard, panthera
Squad - predatory (Carnivora)
Family - cats (Felidae)
Genus - Pantera
Species - leopard (Panthera pardus), within which there are 6 living subspecies.

The status of the species in nature

Listed in the Red Data Books of the IUCN and Russia as a subspecies under threat complete disappearance- CITES I, IUCN (CR).

View and person

From time immemorial, man hunted the leopard, and the prey of such an animal was considered valor. But times are changing, there are more and more people, and there are fewer predatory animals. In addition to hunting predators themselves, people also hunt their potential prey - ungulates, successfully competing with animals. Currently, the leopard is protected by law, however, a decrease in the area of \u200b\u200bpristine economic activity lands and a decrease in the number of ungulates is forcing animals to make ever longer journeys in search of food. Sometimes they are overtaken by a poacher's bullet, and sometimes they simply cannot meet a partner for procreation.

The Far Eastern leopard is the rarest and most northern of the leopard subspecies. At present, this animal is being actively studied not only by the proven methods of naturalists: trailing in the footsteps, the study of the remains of life, but also with the help of modern ones. Scientists tag these animals with radio collars, install camera traps, and, due to the fact that the pattern of spots on the skin of each animal is individual, portraits of almost all Far Eastern leopards have been made. As of February 2015, 56 individuals remained in the wild in Russia and from 8 to 12 individuals in China.
Various international organizations also play an active role in the study and conservation of these wonderful animals. environmental organizations. Newly Created national park"Land of the Leopard", which united the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, the Leopardovy Wildlife Sanctuary and the surrounding areas. In the past few years, thanks to the efforts made, the number of Amur leopards in nature has begun to increase.

common data

Range and habitats

As early as the beginning of the 20th century, the range of the Amur leopard captured East and Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula, the Amur and Ussuri Territories. To date, this animal has survived only in Southern Primorye and, possibly, several individuals live in China.

Like most large predators, this animal is not associated with any one type of habitat. Its presence can be noted on forested slopes and ridges of mountain spurs with rocks and placers. Holds on low mountains with deciduous forests Manchurian type where there is not much snow in winter.

Appearance and morphology

This wonderfully beautiful cat has a flexible, slender and at the same time elongated body, rounded head, long tail, slender, very strong legs. According to the measurements of 6 males, the body length of the Far Eastern leopard is 107–136 cm, the tail is 82–90 cm, the height at the shoulders is 64–78 cm. The body weight of females is up to 42.5 kg, males - up to 50 kg.

The color of the main background of winter fur is brilliant, from light cream to more intense yellowish-red with a golden hue; lighter on the sides and outer side of the limbs; on the belly and the inside of the limbs - white. The spotted pattern consists of intensely black solid or annular spots. On the belly and limbs the spots are solid. Summer fur with more saturated colors. The length of the fur on the back is up to 30-50 mm, on the belly up to 70 mm.

The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals

Activity and social organization

Leads mainly a twilight lifestyle. It usually goes hunting an hour or two before sunset and hunts the first half of the night, although it sometimes pursues prey during the day, especially on cloudy cold days and in winter. It also appears at the watering hole at dusk.

Like other large cats, the leopard does not like to share territory with other individuals of its species, however, the habitats of the male and females may overlap. The female with kittens has a small habitat area, approximately 4–5 hectares, the male leads a more nomadic lifestyle.

Feeding and feeding behavior

The diet of the leopard mainly consists of ungulates: roe deer, young wild boar, sika deer and deer calves. In addition, it eats hares, badgers, raccoon dogs, pheasants, hazel grouse and various insects. On average, one roe deer can last a leopard for 10 days of a well-fed life.

The leopard hunts for roe deer by stealing them while feeding or on the haul. The victim is overtaken by a short jerk, sometimes ending with a powerful 5-6 meter jump, knocks to the ground, biting the cervical vertebrae. If the victim is not overtaken at a short distance, the leopard stops the pursuit. In familiar territory, the beast has favorite places hunting. Near the prey, the leopard lingers for 1-3 days. In an effort to protect prey, he drags it under the crowns of trees and on trees, under creases and rocks.

Reproduction and development

The rut of the Far Eastern leopard falls on winter months(December - January). After 3 months, from 1 to 5 cubs appear in the den, which the female arranges in placers of stones, in caves and under overhanging rocks, usually there are 2–3 of them. Kittens are born blind, covered with thick, rather long hair. The skin is dotted with small dark brown and black spots that do not form rosettes. The weight of a newborn is 500–700 g, the body length is about 15 cm. They begin to see clearly on the 7–9th day. On the 12-15th day, the kittens begin to crawl around the nest, and by two months they leave the den. At this time, the female regurgitates half-digested meat to them, then they begin to eat the prey brought by the mother.

The female feeds the kittens alone. Young animals stay with their mother until her next estrus, and, left by the female, do not part with each other until the end of winter. They stay close for a while, and then they can go long distances. Apparently, mortality among young and 1-2 year old leopards is very high, but kittens can be born annually.

Lifespan

In captivity, some animals lived up to 21 years, in nature, life expectancy is much less.

Keeping animals in the Moscow Zoo

Several Far Eastern leopards now live in the Moscow Zoo. One of them, named Mizer, can be seen at the exposition, the rest live in a zoo for breeding rare species and successfully breed there. A young handsome male, which can be seen at the exposition in the "Cat's Row" in the Old Territory of the Zoo, was also born in the zoo. He is not at all afraid of people, you can see him all day long, but he, like other cats, is far from always active.

Currently, there are more Far Eastern leopards in zoos than in the wild. Unfortunately, many of them are already old. In captivity, it is very difficult to get offspring from leopards: partners often do not like each other, and in order to play new wedding you need to bring an animal from another zoo. Leopards are serious animals, and transporting them is not an easy task. Therefore, we are very proud that we have managed to create conditions in which the animals feel comfortable and give birth regularly. All leopards kept in captivity are listed in the International Stud Book.
Leopards are fed with the meat of various animals, mainly beef. Periodically give vitamin and mineral supplements and sprouted greens of cereals.

A predator that belongs to the cat family. The Far Eastern leopard is a large animal, the body length of the male can be 136 cm (females are slightly smaller). Weight ranges from 50 kg to 60 kg. Distributed in the mountain taiga forests of the Far East, on the border of three countries - China, Russia and North Korea. In our time, the Far Eastern (Amur) leopard is on the verge of extinction. This is the rarest of the subspecies: according to some sources, no more than 40 individuals have survived in nature.

Red Book: Amur leopard

The predator has thick long fur. Especially noticeable in winter attire. This beautiful cat is one of the most beautiful and very rare cats in the world. FROM recently this animal was added to the Red Book of Russia. The Far Eastern leopard has received the status of an endangered species. This circumstance is of great concern to environmentalists and animal advocates. Today, efforts are being made to preserve the subspecies and increase its numbers.

The Far Eastern leopard, whose photo adorns many publications telling about predators in Russia, is listed in the IUCN Red List, as well as in the Appendix International Convention CITES.

Despite the efforts made, today experts consider the situation with these magnificent beauties to be catastrophic. And there is every reason for this. For only two recent decades The habitat of the leopard in our country has halved, and its numbers have decreased tenfold. Today in Russia there are no more than 30 individuals. In China, according to the latest data, no more than 10 animals. There is no information about the presence of these animals in Korea.

Predisposition to change the range and abundance of this beautiful animal recent years looks menacing. The last, once reliable refuge of the Far Eastern leopard in our country, the south of Primorsky Krai, is not protected either. Deforestation is not declining, but gaining momentum, vegetation is systematically burned out, new roads are being reconstructed and laid, individuals that cause damage to deer herds are destroyed, there are frequent cases when the Far Eastern leopard falls into traps intended for other animals.

Cases of poaching have become more frequent, which is stimulated by the fashion for luxurious skins of these animals.

External signs of a leopard

Many special editions place its description on their pages. The Far Eastern leopard is an unusually graceful and slender cat with a thick and fluffy fur coat. it rarest species felines on earth.

His body is slender, with incredible flexibility. The head is rounded, the correct form.

The predator sheds twice a year. His summer outfit is distinguished by shorter hair (2.5 cm), the winter coat is rather dull, long, with a thick undercoat (from 5 to 7 cm).

Paws are strong and slender, with strong retractable claws.

Color

The coat varies with the season. In winter, the Far Eastern (Amur) leopard is dressed in a rusty, red with golden or light yellow fur coat. In summer, it acquires more saturated tones. Clearly defined rings or black spots are scattered over the skin. The eyes are blue-green or gray-blue.

Habitat

When people think of leopards, most of them think of the African savannas. Despite this, there is a rare subspecies of these animals that lives in the forests of the Far East and northern China. That is why he was called the Far Eastern leopard, often called the Amur leopard. As already mentioned, the population is in critical condition, but there is still hope for the restoration of this subspecies. Recall the fact that his equally magnificent cousin - Amur tiger- increased the population in less than 60 years. But once tigers also numbered less than 40 individuals.

Experts believe that the Far Eastern leopard, whose photo you see in the article, can be saved if conservation projects are implemented.

This beautiful predator lives in temperate forests with a wide temperature range. Today, the leopard lives on an area of about 5000 square meters. km. A viable population of this subspecies in the wild has been preserved in Primorsky Krai (RF), between China and Vladivostok.

Main Threats

According to scientists who are concerned about the life of the Far Eastern leopard, for 13 years (1970 - 1983) this predator has lost more than 80% of its habitat.

Fortunately, today there woodlands that are suitable for the life of a leopard. These territories should be protected from harmful human influence.

Lack of loot

On the land of China there are vast areas that would be quite suitable for these animals. However, the level of the food base of these territories is insufficient to maintain the population at the proper level. It is possible to increase the amount of production, but for this it is necessary to regulate the use of forests by humans and take urgent and effective measures for the protection of ungulates from poachers. In order for the population of the Far Eastern leopard to recover, it needs to replenish its former habitat.

Poaching

The leopard of the Far East, like no other predator, is subject to illegal hunting because of its beautiful and expensive fur. An undercover investigation team conducted an experiment: they recreated the skin of a female and male of this animal, and then sold them for $5,000 and $10,000, respectively. The “deal” took place in the village of Barabash, not far from the Kedrovaya Pad nature reserve.

This experiment showed that even today there are illegal markets for such products located in animal habitats. In these areas, poaching becomes a much more serious problem than in areas remote from people.

Conflict with a person

Amur leopards are very vulnerable, as deer become part of their diet. On the Far East man has made his "contribution" to the reduction of the number of deer. This is due to the special value of the horns of these animals in Asian medicine. In turn, this does not allow the leopard to get enough food. In this regard, animals often wander into reindeer farms in search of food. It is only natural that farm owners protect their investments and kill predators.

Inbreeding

This magnificent predator is also under threat because its population in the wild is extremely small. This makes him vulnerable to various troubles - Forest fires, diseases, changes in the ratio of deaths and births, sex ratios (for example, cubs that were born within the last few years may be males). Besides, an important factor is inbreeding depression. Family ties have been registered, and this fact does not exclude possible genetic problems, including a decrease in the birth rate. Such matings are quite common in nature in some populations of big cats, but they by no means allow for outbreeding in very small populations, which undoubtedly include the Amur leopard.

Food

The basis of the diet of this predator are wild artiodactyls - roe deer and sika deer. When food is scarce, the leopard feeds on badgers, Manchurian hares, wild boars, red foxes, etc.

The leopard is able to endure hunger for up to twenty days.

Lifestyle

The Far Eastern leopard is a crepuscular animal. He goes hunting in the evening or at night. Rarely, but if very hungry, may pursue prey during the daytime.

It most often attacks its prey from an ambush. The predator approaches it very carefully, trying to use the local terrain to get closer. The leopard goes to the watering hole only when dusk sets in in the forest.

The beast has very sharp eyesight. He can see his prey at a great distance (up to 1.5 km). But with hearing and smell, the situation is somewhat worse.

The Far Eastern leopard is excellent at climbing trees. Even large prey is easily dragged onto the branches.

At short distances, it develops a very decent speed (55 km / h). This cat does not like to swim.

Often uses roads and paths made by man. He is not afraid of him, does not attack, but simply tries to get away unnoticed. He cannot stand the constant presence of a person - he leaves such places forever.

Lives in the same area for many years, walks along the same paths and uses the same brood dens.

social structure

Leopards prefer solitude, but can live in pairs and families.

On the domain of the male there are several sites of females, which reach an area of 60-100 sq. km. On this territory she lives with her offspring. Leopards regularly bypass their possessions, put their characteristic marks on trees on their borders. Often on the ground you can see the so-called scrapes.

Puberty and pregnancy

The animal reaches full maturity by 3 years. Males mature somewhat later than females. The female bears her cubs from 90 to 105 days.

reproduction

Far Eastern leopards are polygamous. One male takes care of several females. Cubs appear at the female only once in two years. The predator builds a lair in caves, crevices, under the roots of fallen trees in secluded wilderness areas. The male is the father coming. He visits the female and kittens from time to time. Sometimes he helps to hunt.

Leopards breed throughout the year, but the peak is in January.

Offspring

Usually 1-3 blind adorable spotted kittens are born. They weigh an average of 600 g, body length is 15-17 cm. Small predators open their eyes on the 7-9th day. When the cubs are a little over a month old, they first leave the lair. At two months, the mother begins to feed them with meat. At three months children's drawing coat changes to adult (specks turn into rosettes). Offspring live with their mother for up to two years.

Human danger

Of all the representatives of this group, the Far Eastern leopard is the most peaceful. It does not attack a person - not a single case has been recorded in the last 50 years. Very rarely attacks pets.

From this it follows that this predator is not a threat to humans.

"Far Eastern leopard. Fight for the throne"

In December 2014, this amazing documentary created by Russian filmmakers came out on the screens of our country.

Every person on our planet should see this film. The Far Eastern leopard is shown in it in a way that no one has ever seen before. Cautious and elusive animals appear out of nowhere and rapidly disappear into nowhere, as if dissolving into the expanses of the wild and beautiful Far Eastern taiga.

For a long time (more than a year), the film crew collected unique material in order to shoot the very shots that no one else could do. This is a desperate struggle for survival, raising cubs, eating and hunting, details complex relationships in one family of leopards and their competition with other animals.

The main character of the film was the most beautiful, graceful female Kedrovka. Neighbors in the taiga forest began to constantly steal her prey, and predators seek to kill her kittens. A desperate mother is forced to leave the lair near the Kedrovaya River and lead her babies deep into the Ussuri taiga.

With the onset of winter, not far from the lair, which Kedrovka was forced to leave, a deer carcass suddenly appeared. Who got it? Kedrovka herself, one of her surviving and grown-up kittens, or maybe a new beast has appeared in these wild taiga regions, claiming the "taiga throne"?

In order to answer these numerous questions and at the same time take amazing shots from the life of the most mysterious predatory cats on earth, the team of the My Planet studio turned the territory of the Leopard Land park into an unusually large size. film set. Documentary filmmakers used the most advanced, truly unique, most modern technologies and hidden cameras. It is especially important that the film crew observed essential condition- Preservation of calmness of predators, nothing should have frightened them and forced them to leave their habitual habitats.

Today we introduced you to the most beautiful and rarest predatory cat on Earth. I really want to believe that the Far Eastern leopard will survive, so that it does not happen that in a few years we will remember him in the past tense. The next generations should see them, they should know about this amazing animal, which man so ruthlessly exterminated.

The Far Eastern leopard is predatory mammal, one of the subspecies of the leopard. Its body length is from 107 to 136 cm. Males reach 50 kg, females weigh about 423 kg. It lives in mountain coniferous-broad-leaved and oak forests in the Far East, on the borders of Russia, China and North Korea.

The males of this leopard subspecies are 107 to 136 cm long, the tail is 82-90 cm long, the height is from 64 to 78 cm, the weight is in the range of 30-50 kg. Females are usually slightly smaller in size.

The body is slender, flexible, muscular, elongated, slightly compressed from the sides. The tail is long. The limbs are short, strong, with powerful and wide forelegs. Light claws are strongly curved and sharp, their length can reach 5 cm on the front paws. The head is small, rounded with a convex forehead, small ears, rounded, set wide. The eyes are small with a round pupil. Vibrissae black and white.

The coat is soft, dense, relatively short, close fitting. Winter coloration varies from light yellow to rich yellowish-red with a golden hue or reddish-yellow. Boca and outer side legs are always lighter. In general, winter fur is paler and duller than summer fur. On the general background black spots are scattered: solid and in the form of rings. The spots are absent only in front of the muzzle.

The Far Eastern leopard, as a predator, eats everything that it gets: from small rodents to large deer and even bears. Ungulates (and Siberian roe deer) predominate in its diet. If there are not enough of them, then the leopard preys on wild boars and calves of the red deer, badgers and raccoon dogs. An adult individual is enough for one extracted ungulate for two weeks. During periods of starvation, leopards prey on a hare, hazel grouse. In addition, Far Eastern leopards eat grass to clean gastrointestinal tract from their fur, which they swallow while cleaning their fur.

Far Eastern leopards hunt most actively at dusk and early in the night. During the day they go hunting only in winter. cloudy weather. They hunt only alone, females occasionally hunt together with their growing offspring. Hunting consists of two main techniques: sneaking up on prey and waiting for it in ambush. Having crept up to the victim at 5-10 m, the leopard makes a sharp jerk and a series of jumps. Near the carcass of large prey, a leopard can stay for a week. When a person appears, he prefers to hide, and then return to his victim.

The historical range of Far Eastern leopards included southern regions Ussuri Territory, Northeast China (Manchuria), Korean Peninsula. In the 20th century, the subspecies was distributed in the southeast of Russia, northeast China and Korean peninsula. Due to human development of these territories, the range was divided into three isolated areas and formed three independent populations. Today, the Far Eastern leopard lives in mountainous wooded areas an area of about 10-15,000 km², located between Russia, China and Korea.

Leopards can inhabit a variety of landscapes, usually avoiding populated areas only. They can be found in large mountain formations, with ledges, cliffs and outcrops that alternate with gentle slopes, with oak and cedar forests, with a population density of roe deer from 10 animals per 1000 ha, and other living ungulates.

Sexual dimorphism in Far Eastern leopards is not pronounced, sexual differences in males and females are expressed in the smaller size of the latter and the light structure of their skull.

The Far Eastern leopard is a solitary, nocturnal animal. The spatial arrangement of its habitats is not seasonal. Males occupy an area of 238-316 km2, up to 500 km2 maximum, females' territories are usually 4-6 times smaller, 107-128 km2. The leopard has been using an individual site, permanent trails and shelters for broods for many years in a row. The size of the plot is determined by the age and sex of the leopard, the season, the topography, and the number of prey items on it. It is the smallest in females during lactation, up to 10 km². In females with one-year-old offspring, it is already 25-40 km², in young individuals 100-250 km². The largest are the territories of sexually mature males.

Leopard sites sometimes coincide with each other at the borders, several leopards may use the same trails. Young males can freely roam the territories of adult relatives. Leopards rarely clash with each other, but when it comes to serious clashes, death can also happen.

The communication system of Far Eastern leopards includes visual cues, scent cues, and sounds. Visual marks are scuff marks on tree trunks, loosening of soil or snow, trace chains. The smell is left by excrement and urinary marks. Leopards often use combined marks, while marking not the boundaries of their habitats along the perimeter, but their central parts.

Leopards breed very slowly: females give birth to no more than 1-2 cubs, pregnancy occurs only once every three years, far from all of them.

The Far Eastern leopard is a polygamous animal. Estrus in females begins in late autumn and lasts until the beginning of winter. At this time, fights often occur and a loud roar of males is heard, although usually leopards are silent. Males seek contacts with females, visit their territories, often mark trails. Mating takes place in January, after which the females set up dens in caves and crevices.

Pregnancy lasts 90-105 days, in one brood there are 1-4 cubs, the mortality among which is very high. They are born blind, with thick spotted hair. The mass of newborn kittens is 400-600 g. After a week, their eyes are opened, after two they begin to crawl, at the age of a month they can walk well, and a month later they leave the lair. Only the female brings up the cubs. At 2-3 months, the babies leave the den and follow their mother, who periodically selects new shelters for them. Milk feeding of offspring lasts from 3 months to six months. Kittens eat meat from 6-8 weeks. From about the same time, they are trained to search for prey. Until the age of 13-14 months, young leopards live with the female. Then the brood disintegrates.

Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 2-3 years, in males a little later than in females. The first offspring of the latter appears at 25-55 months. In captivity, Far Eastern leopards live up to 20 years, in nature they live much less - 10-15 years.

A variety of wild animals, scavengers and predators, are not dangerous for leopards, and also do not represent food competitors for them. Among domestic animals, dogs are a danger to them: both hunters and food competitors.

Great harm to the population of the Far Eastern leopard is caused by people, which is associated with poaching, the destruction of ungulates that leopards feed on, and the destruction of their natural habitats.

Now the Far Eastern leopard is on the verge of extinction. This is the rarest among all leopard subspecies, in the wild there are about 57 individuals in the National Park "Land of the Leopard" and 8-12 in China. The animal is listed in the Red Book of the IUCN, Russia. Hunting is strictly prohibited.
The presence of spots on the body of the Far Eastern leopard disrupts the visual impression of the contours of its body, so it is imperceptible or hardly noticeable against the background. environment. The main function of this color is to camouflage the predator during the hunt. The location of the spots is unique to each individual, just like fingerprints in humans.

The rarest predator from the cat family is the Far Eastern leopard. It is also called the Amur leopard or the Amur leopard - the IUCN Red Book includes five subspecies of leopards, but the Far Eastern amur leopard the smallest and on the verge of extinction. On the this moment in the wild, there are about 80 individuals.

Appearance

The Amur leopard, like all types of leopards, has a medium-sized rounded head with rounded ears, an elongated slender body, a long tail and strong slender paws with powerful retractable claws. No description of the Amur leopard is complete without mentioning its extraordinarily beautiful emerald eyes with oval vertical pupils.

The male is larger than the female, its body length can reach 135-137 cm, tail length - 80-90 cm, the height of the animal at the withers is about 70 cm. How much does a leopard weigh? Average weight leopard from 30 to 50 kg, females - 25-40 kg. Most major representatives of this subspecies weigh 60-70 kg.

His fur is luxurious - thick, soft and quite long. In summer, its length is about 2.5 cm, and in winter it reaches 7.5 cm. Longer belly fur protects the animal from frost in the cold season.

In winter, the main color varies from light sand to yellowish-red, in summer it becomes brighter and more saturated. The tips of the paws, chest and belly are always lighter than the body. A unique pattern on the skin is created by black spots arranged in rings or rosettes.

habitats

The habitat of this northernmost subspecies is the southwest of Primorsky Krai. The Far Eastern leopard mainly lives in Russia, and only about 1/3 of the total population lives in China.

For life, the seaside leopard chooses areas with forests of the Manchurian type, giving preference to places with rugged relief, abounding in hills, watersheds and rocky outcrops.

Lifestyle and habits

The Amur leopard has excellent eyesight, it is known for its ability to see its prey at a distance of more than 1 km. The sense of smell and hearing of this predator are also well developed.

The Far Eastern leopard in pursuit of prey is able to develop high speed(up to 60 km/h). This predator is mainly active at dusk. Before sunset, he begins to search for prey and hunts for the first half of the night. On cloudy days and in winter, it often goes hunting during the day. It is most often sent to the watering place only after dusk.

The leopard is a solitary animal, strictly observing the boundaries of its territory. The patches are small and do not overlap between individuals of the same sex. The female (alone or with kittens) usually occupies from 50 to 100 square meters. km, and the male occupies a territory 5-6 times larger, visiting the sites of females only for mating. A male's territory may overlap with that of several adult females.

The Amur leopard guards the boundaries of its territory vigilantly, regularly bypasses them, leaving marks on the trees.

Food

The Far Eastern leopard hunts alone stealthily or from an ambush. The female often hunts with the cubs. Skillfully using the terrain, the predator moves, hiding in various irregularities, bypassing dry foliage and branches, moving almost silently and imperceptibly. When 5-10 meters are left before the prey, the predator makes a swift throw and grabs its prey. It happens that a leopard on a tree eats prey. He is able to drag prey twice his weight up a tree.

The diet of this predator consists mainly of ungulates. He also preys on various small animals. Most of the animals that make up the diet of this wild cat are the objects of hunting and poaching, and their numbers are gradually declining. It is especially difficult for a predator to get food in winter.

reproduction

The Far Eastern leopard reaches puberty by 2.5-3 years, females develop earlier than males. The male often takes care of several females at once. The rut takes place in late autumn - early winter.

The female arranges a lair in remote places, choosing secluded crevices, caves or depressions under the roots of fallen trees.

Three months later, the female has 1-2 (rarely 3-4) kittens. Babies are born blind, about 500 g in weight, covered with fluffy spotted fur. After 7-9 days, their eyes open, on the 15th day the kittens begin to crawl confidently, and after the second month of life they can already get out of the den. At three months, the kittens change the color of their coats, the spots are collected in rosettes as in adult animals. At 1.5-2 years old, the cubs leave their mother and begin an independent life.

In the wild, this predator lives 12-15 years, and in captivity it lives up to 20.

Reasons for the disappearance

Since 1970, this subspecies has lost almost 80% of its habitat. Massive deforestation, infrastructure development in Primorsky Krai and fires have become the main reason.

Lack of food

Permitted hunting for ungulates and poaching lead to a decrease in their numbers and a decrease in the main food supply.

Illegal trade and poaching

Because of its beautiful fur, this rare cat becomes a victim of poachers. The high price of the skin makes poachers risk their freedom and even their lives (in China, killing a leopard is punishable by death).

Conflict with a person

Since the main diet of this predator is deer, in search of prey they often climb into reindeer farms. This partly solves the problem of feeding leopards, but sometimes they become a victim of reindeer herders.

Inbreeding

The small population of this subspecies makes it extremely vulnerable to such factors:

diseases;
change in the birth and death rate;
change in sex ratio;
inbreeding depression.

It is highly likely that family ties lead to a change at the genetic level, one of the manifestations of which is a decrease in the birth rate. The average number of pups per adult female in one litter has decreased by almost 50% over the past twenty years.

Security

The conservation of the Far Eastern leopard and the restoration of the population within the historical range is very important! At the moment, many zoos are breeding this subspecies in captivity. It is worth noting the high results in the breeding of this wild cat, obtained in the Tallinn Zoo.

An animal exchange program between zoos is now being actively developed, which will prevent the degeneration of this subspecies due to genetic changes as a result of inbreeding. In the future, it is planned to relocate these predators into the wild.

To preserve the population of this rarest animal in Russia, the National Park "Land of the Leopard" and the reserve "Kedrovaya Pad" were created, on the territory of which most of the entire population. In the Red Book, the Far Eastern leopard is listed as close to extinction, but gradually the number of these animals in the wild is growing.

Video

See fascinating documentary about the Far Eastern leopard.

Land of the leopard. carousel of life
With this film, commissioned by WWF, the Call of the Taiga studio is finishing its "leopardian" of 10 films in 20 years. The film received a special prize at the international film festival "To Save and Preserve" in Khanty-Mansiysk.

The best

In the story about the Far Eastern leopard, every time you have to use the definitions "MOST" and "ONLY". This is the northernmost leopard subspecies and the only one that has learned to live and hunt in the snow. This is the most peaceful subspecies of the leopard and the only one that has signed a non-aggression pact with humans. But, unfortunately, this pact turned out to be one-sided. Our leopard never attacks a person, and a person remains a deadly threat to him. Poaching continues for the leopard itself and for its food - roe deer and spotted deer, deforestation, systematic burning of vegetation, reconstruction and laying of roads, leopards getting into loops and traps intended for other animals. As a result, the historical range of the animal is rapidly “drying out”, the leopard disappeared from the Southern Sikhote-Alin and survived only in the South-West of Primorye. Today, the Far Eastern leopard turned out to be the RARE big cat on the planet. There are about 80 animals left in the wild!

Leopard reintroduction program

In November 2013, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources approved a new version of the Far Eastern Leopard Conservation Strategy, for the implementation of which leading scientists and experts, with the participation of WWF, developed an action plan until 2022 and a program for the reintroduction of this rare cat. These are fundamental documents that are the key to the preservation of the predator. At the new stage, the tasks are set to increase the population of the Far Eastern leopard in the south-west of Primorye and adjacent territories China and North Korea up to 100 individuals, as well as the reintroduction of leopards from zoos to create a second viable population on the basis of the Lazovsky Reserve. The task of WWF in this process is to provide comprehensive assistance, primarily expert assistance.

What has already been done?

World Foundation wildlife constantly allocated funds to equip anti-poaching brigades with everything necessary, ensured the fight against fires, organized educational work with schoolchildren. Over the past 10-odd years, we have been agonizingly seeking the creation of a single large specially protected natural area, which would cover the main core of the population of the rarest cat. And so, in April 2012, the Land of the Leopard National Park was created, which is more than 10 times larger in area than the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve , on the territory of which the leopard was guarded before!

Now at the very rare leopard finally got a chance to survive. But in order to realize this chance, it is necessary to establish a permanent and reliable protection of this vast territory from poachers and fires, as well as effective educational work with the population. WWF is providing a new joint directorate national park"Land of the Leopard" and the reserve "Kedrovaya Pad" active and active assistance in this direction.

What else?

And thanks to another project that the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is conducting in Russia and China with the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, it was possible to strengthen the protection of the territory in the south-west of Primorye - the only place in our country where the two most rare big cats- Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard. The funds are directed to support anti-poaching activities, the work of regional protected areas, tracking and preventing conflict situations with large predators.