[FEL-L] Leopard Near Extinction -- Only About 30 Remain

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Leopard Near Extinction -- Only About 30 Remain
Kelly Hearn
for _National Geographic News_ (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/) 

April 19, 2007
The world's rarest big cat may be doomed to extinction.  
A new census estimates that only 25 to 34 wild Amur leopards remain—at least 
66 fewer than are needed to ensure survival, experts say.  
A new census estimates that only 25 to 34 wild Amur leopards remain—at least 
66 fewer than are needed to ensure survival, experts say.  
Also known as the Far Eastern leopard, the Amur has been painted into a 
deadly corner by habitat-slashing, conservationists said this week.  
Weighing in at about 55 to 130 pounds (25 to 59 kilograms), the large cat 
once flourished along the Korean Peninsula, in the Russian Far East, and in 
northeastern China. But habitat fragmentation and the hunting of the leopard and 
its prey have eviscerated wild populations, conservationists say.  
The Amur's long legs and long fur set it apart from other leopards, allowing 
it to prowl in deep snow and withstand Siberian cold.  
The leopard's snow tracks were the basis of the census, which covered some 
1,930 square miles (5,000 square kilometers) of Amur territory near Vladivostok 
(_Russia map_ 
(http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=russi) ).  
The international conservation organization WWF, the Russian Academy of 
Science, and the Wildlife Conservation Society announced the results yesterday at 
Russia's Ministry of Natural Resources in _Moscow_ 
(http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/cities/city_moscow.html) .  
New Cubs Offer "Some Hope"  
"We've known for some time that Amur leopard numbers were low," said Darron 
Collins, managing director of WWF's program for the Amur-Heilong region.  
"But this collaborative census demonstrates precisely how dangerously low the 
numbers are and how dire the overall situation is," said Collins, speaking 
from Washington, D.C.  
Researchers found at least four leopard litters, which they called "a sign 
the population has some hope for regeneration," according to a statement.  
But experts say at least a hundred individuals are needed to ensure the cat's 
survival, and they are calling on _China_ 
(http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_china.html) , _Russia_ 
(http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_russia.html) , and _North Korea_ 
(http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_koreanorth.html)  to cooperate 
in an effort to save the Amur.  
Collins said each government has played a role in helping conserve the 
leopard, with Russia taking the lead.  
"But more certainly needs to be done, and what we need now is an increase in 
commitment to a transboundary protected area," he said.  
Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, led 
the press conference. He said he wanted to unify three protected areas where the 
leopard now lives, according to WWF. The group says it convinced the Russian 
government this year to change a planned oil pipeline route to avoid Amur 
territories.  
Officials at the Russian ministry did not respond to an interview request by 
press time.  
Poaching to Go Unpunished?  
Russia is also taking some wrong steps, said Michiel Hötte, an Amur expert 
with the Zoological Society of London.  
"The Russian Ministry of Justice wants to remove the right of [officials in 
nature reserves] to fine or arrest poachers," Hötte said. "This will seriously 
weaken reserves on which the Amur leopard depends."  
He added that _China is considering lifting the ban on the domestic trade in 
tiger parts_ 
(http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061222-tiger-farms.html)  used in traditional medicine.  
"Lifting the ban would be disastrous not only for tigers but also for 
leopards, which are often used as substitutes for tigers in Chinese remedies," he 
said.  
Hötte said conservationists have had very little contact with the secretive 
government of North Korea.  
"But as far as we know," he said, "the regime does little to protect tigers 
and other wildlife."  
_http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070419-leopards.html_ 
(http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070419-leopards.html)  



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