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Steven Gutterman

Ms. Moss

Pre-AP English, Period 4

21 February 2018

Humanity’s “Amur-sing” Neglect

Background on the Endangerment

The Panthera pardus orientalis (Amur leopard) is one of the most critically endangered

big cat species on the planet, defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as “[c]ritically

[e]ndangered,” meaning “facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the [w]ild” (“Amur

Leopard”). Without a doubt, the species requires intensive care from humanity and if left

untreated will fade into the past with all the other long-lost species. Once dominant, as stated by

the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), across “northern China, the Korean Peninsula and

southern areas of the Russian Far East” but now “only in a small part of southwest Primorskii

Krai in Russia,” Amur leopards have clearly declined in status in the animal kingdom as human

civilization developed and forced them out of their natural habitats (“Amur Leopard and Tiger

Conservation”)

Much like other species in the same dire situation, the Amur leopard is endangered due to

two main causes as indicated by the World Wildlife Fund: prey scarcity and illegal wildlife trade.

An important indication of the lack of prey is the fact that there are still “large tracts of suitable

habitat” in Russia and China, yet in China “the prey base is insufficient to sustain large

populations” (“Amur Leopard”). This “prey base” mostly contains hooved animals, specifically

roe deer and sika deer, among other types of small mammals such as badgers and hares. The
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WWF argues that prey populations are low due to human activity in areas such as poaching and

their loss of habitat due to logging, and that in order for the Amur leopard to survive as a species,

it needs to repopulate in its former areas in China, Korea, and Russia where the prey traditionally

grazes (“Amur Leopard”).

As with any other endangered species, a major cause of the loss of these species comes

from the contribution of man, specifically in the form of illegal wildlife trade. The WWF states

that the species is “poached largely for its beautiful, spotted fur” that is sold for extreme prices,

with the example provided stating, “...a female and a male Amur leopard skin [were] being sold

for $500 and $1,000 respectively...in Russia” (“Amur Leopard”). While these people that hunt

the innocent big cats likely only do so to provide for themselves and their families, they are

impacting both the endangered species and its prey in a manner that is almost unrecoverable

from. Local communities and regional authorities must be educated on the subject in order to

ensure that the leopard and its prey population are no longer poached, and they must come

together to formulate other economic opportunities for the villagers in the populated areas

surrounding the species’ habitats. The ZSL additionally hypothesizes that another reason for the

decline in populations include “fires that are deliberately set each spring” and economic

development as the area inhabited by the leopards “contains important shipping ports” (“Amur

Leopard and Tiger Conservation”). Given all these criteria, it is safe to assume that major

changes must be instilled into governments of the countries in which these leopards reside to

keep the species from declining to the point of extinction.

Characteristics of the Leopard

While the discussion regarding the status of the Amur leopard’s endangerment is crucial

to understanding the overarching picture, the characteristics of this mammal are important as
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well, offering a deeper look into the species to exemplify just how it deserves just as much life as

anything else. Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance (ALTA) describes the Amur leopard to live in

“temperate forests of Far Eastern Russia” where they “experienc[e] harsh winters with extreme

cold and deep snow, as well as hot summers” (“Amur Leopard Factfile”). As discussed

previously, their predominate range includes eastern portions of Russia and northeastern parts of

China, with most found along the border between the two nations. Some findings from ALTA

indicate that there may be some currently in North Korea, but it is impossible for a full analysis

to be undertaken. This hypothesis would be logical, as the leopard once resided all throughout

the Korean Peninsula until its extinction was confirmed in South Korea in the late 1960s (“Amur

Leopard Factfile”). Given the mammal’s presidings, its alternate names such as “Far Eastern

leopard,” “Manchurian leopard,” and “Korean leopard” are quite fitting.

(“Amur Leopard Videos, Photos and Facts”)

The cool climate the Amur leopard thrives in is unusual for the big cat group of species,

yet it has adapted through its ability to grow thick fur during the winter. Their lighter coats allow

them to blend in with the natural snowy surroundings. This camouflage mechanism coupled with

the denticles, or hooks, on their tongues allow them to easily catch prey and scrape the meat off

their fallen preys’ bones. ALTA defines their weight as a range of 32 to 48 kilograms and 25 to

43 kilograms for males and females, respectively. Reproduction for the Amur leopard has little to
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no nuances from that of other leopard subspecies, with females having a gestation period of

roughly 12 weeks and live birthing cubs in litters of 1 to 4 (“Amur Leopard Factfile”). As there

is little data on wild leopards and their mating patterns, information derives from zoos, where

ALTA finds “some evidence of breeding seasonality with a peak in births in late spring/early

summer” (“Amur Leopard Factfile”).

(“Amur Leopard Factfile”).

As previously discussed, the leopard subspecies hunts a variety of prey, with prominent

targets being roe deer, badgers, and hares. Being nocturnal hunters, they creep on their victims

and pounce on them with speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Once they finally take the kill, they

“then carry and hide unfinished kills, sometimes up trees, so that they are not taken by other

predators” (“Amur Leopard Factfile”).

With all these characteristics in mind, it is crucial to realize that the extinction of this

species would have some serious implications for the rest of the ecosystem it belongs to. The

WWF argues, “The Amur leopard is important ecologically, economically, and culturally.

Conservation of its habitat benefit other species, including Amur tigers and prey species like

deer” (“Amur Leopard”). Few people examine the permanent extinction of the leopard from a
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macro lense, despite it being just as, if not more, important than simply examining the species’

extinction itself. If the Amur leopard were to become extinct, not only would the planet lose a

unique species, but it would also put other species at risk, just as mentioned by the WWF.

Efforts to Prevent Permanent Extinction

Keeping the Amur leopard’s place in its ecosystem in mind, multiple organizations and

professionals have begun work and projects to ensure the conservation of the species. Likely the

most notable activist group is ALTA (Amur Leopard & Tiger Alliance), whose mission

statement is to “protect the Amur leopard and tiger and their habitat” (“Amur Leopard and Tiger

Alliance”). They set out two ultimate goals within their mission statement detailing potential

solutions and directions to go towards: raising awareness and working with other specialists to

raise funds to contribute to conservation projects. Awareness, especially in the rural

environments surrounding the leopard’s habitat, can possibly move people away from the

poaching of the species and toward a different path in their goal for economic success.

Specialists would include, as defined by ALTA, “the scientific community, zoos, international

conservation organisations, and individuals,” and what they desire is to work “in tangent” with

these groups and people to raise money for “in situ”, or in the original location, projects.

Experts in the scientific community argue over the best measure to be taken for the

restoration of the species. Jiang Guangshun and his colleagues at the Feline Research Center of

the Chinese State Forestry Administration discuss the possible future of the Amur leopard as a

species and possible implications of certain conservation efforts. A prominent effort discussed

throughout their piece is reintroduction, and they go on to discuss “reintroduction preparation

based on potential habitat and population size in the Russian Far East, using data on current and

historical range” (Guangshun et al. 1). From the study they conducted, they find that there are
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21,173.7 cubed kilometers of “suitable habitat patches” which “may support 195.1 individuals”

(Guangshun et al. 1). O. Uphyrkina and peers from the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the

National Cancer Institute additionally examine a different method of conservation, specifically

discussing genetics. They discover that there is little genetic diversity among the Amur leopard

as a subspecies, along with a “reduced level of genetic variation” (Uphyrkina et al. 303). With

this in mind, they find that an established captive population of the leopard has within its gene

pool much more genetic diversity, likely due to a history of genetic combination with the related

Chinese subspecies, Panthera pardus japonensis. Their report goes on to discuss possible

implications of augmentation of the wild Amur leopard with leopards from the captive

population to increase genetic diversity and variation.

Given the scientific community’s responses, it is safe to assume that reintroduction of a

captive population in some way back into the wild would result in the highest likelihood for

restoration of the species as a whole.

Works Cited

“Amur Leopard.” Species, World Wide Fund For Nature, www.worldwildlife.org/

species/amur-leopard. Accessed 18 February 2018.

“Amur Leopard.” WWF, World Wide Fund For Nature,

wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/amur_leopard2/. Accessed 18 February

2018.

“Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance.” ALTA Conservation, www.altaconservation.org/. Accessed

19 February 2018.
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“Amur Leopard and Tiger Conservation.” Zoological Society of London (ZSL),

www.zls.org/conservation/regions/asia/amur-leopard-and-tiger-conservation. Accessed

18 February 2018.

“Amur Leopard Videos, Photos and Facts.” Arkive, www.arkive.org/amur-

leopard/panthera- pardus-orientalis/. Accessed 19 February 2018.

Jiang, Guangshun, et al. “New Hope for the Survival of the Amur Leopard in China.”

Scientific Reports, vol. 5, no. 1, 2015. PubMed, Science.gov, doi:10.1038/srep15475.

Accessed 20 February 2018.

Rozhnov, V., et al. "Home Range Structure and Space Use of a Female Amur Leopard,

Panthera Pardus Orientalis (Carnivora, Felidae)." Biology Bulletin, vol. 42, no. 9, 20 Dec.

2015, pp. 821-830. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1134/S1062359015090095. Accessed 20

February 2018.

Uphyrkina, O. “Conservation Genetics of the Far Eastern Leopard (Panthera Pardus

Orientalis).” Journal of Heredity, vol. 93, no. 5, 2002, pp. 303–311. PubMed,

Science.gov, doi:10.1093/jhered/93.5.303. Accessed 20 February 2018.