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“If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”—Francis of Assisi

Amur Leopard

The most endangered animal on the planet Earth:

"Leopard Near Extinction -- Only About 30 Remain!", National Geographic News article.

While the Amur Leopard inhabits the same area as the Siberian Tiger, it has received far less attention from the media and from charities. The Amur leopard is the rarest of all the big cats, and is in immediate danger of becoming extinct in the wild. It is suffering from habitat loss and is especially vulnerable to natural disasters, such as fire, because of extensive habitat fragmentation. Amur Leopards prefer to live in forested territory, but most of its remaining territory is surrounded by farms and villages, making poaching easier.

Russian plans to building an oil pipeline through the last remaining habitat of the Amur leopard were recently redirected to a safer route after pressure from the WWF and other environmental organizations.

A Population Management Plan has been established for this subspecies of leopard. The PMP is a cooperative effort among zoos and other captive-animal facilities to monitor the status and plan breeding of the current captive population.

On April 16, 2007 a female was shot and killed by hunters, leaving only six females left in the wild.


Links:

Leopard Near Extinction -- Only About 30 Remain. Kelly Hearn, National Geographic (April 19, 2007). Retrieved on April 22, 2007.

Wildlife Alliance and Phoenix Fund's direct protection efforts for Amur leopards and Amur tigers in the Russian Far East

Saving the Amur Leopard: "Amur Leopard Conservation Support Programme"

The Tigris Foundation -- dedication to the conservation of the Amur leopard

Oregon Zoo fact sheet and videos

WCS Russia

WWF: World’s longest oil pipeline re-routed in Russia's Far East, endangered leopard habitat spared