[FEL-L] One of last members of leopard species killed

[BigCatSimba at aol.com]

One of last members of leopard species killed
Amur leopard, one of only seven females in wild, shot in Russia Far East
MOSCOW - Hunters in Russia's Far East have shot and killed one of the last 
seven surviving female Amur leopards living in the wild, WWF said on Monday, 
driving the species even closer to extinction. 
Last week environmentalists said there were only between 25 and 34 Amur 
leopards — described as one of the most graceful cats in the world — still living 
in the wild. 
At least 100 are needed to guarantee the species' survival which depends upon 
female leopards breeding. There are more male leopards in the wild than 
female because cats tend to breed males when under stress, WWF said. 
"Leopard murder can only be provoked by cowardice or stupidity, in this case 
most likely by both," Pavel Fomenko, WWF's biodiversity coordinator in 
Russia's Far East, said in a statement. 
A hunter shot the leopard through the tail bone. It tumbled over and was then 
beaten over the head with a heavy object, WWF said. Amur leopards have not 
been know to attack humans. 
Environmentalists have urged the Russian government to introduce tighter 
controls on its national parks in the Far East to crack down on leopard hunting. 
They also want more done to protect the animal's natural environment and food 
supply, which they say is being destroyed by human development. 
A local wildlife watchdog received an anonymous tip-off that a leopard had 
been killed. State wildlife officers found the dead animal after a day of 
searching. The leopard died on either April 15 or April 16, WWF said.  
It was not immediately clear why the leopard skin and body parts would have 
been left behind. 
_http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18273980/_ 
(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18273980/) 



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