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| a leopard mother and two cubs, courtesy of the Kremlin |
A new estimate of Amur leopards,
Panthera pardus orientalis shows they are on the edge of extinction in the wild. About 84 individuals live along the remote border of Primorskii Province, Russia and Jilin Province, China. The new estimate was published in
Conservation Letters by Russian, Chinese and American scientists, and is based on camera traps placed on both sides of the border. Previously, estimates were based on pug marks in the snow or mud, consequently they were prone to error. The new technique allows identification of individual leopards from their unique spot pattern. Comparison of data from both countries results in relatively precise counting. Because there are no records of these leopards elsewhere, this dwindling number of individuals represents the world's remaining members of the species.
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| credit: E. Rondeau |
The data shows the big cats move freely across the border. About one third of them were photographed on both sides. Because the leopard population in Primorskii is reaching saturation, they appear to be colonizing habitat in China. The international cooperation demonstrated by the study is encouraging to conservationists who increasingly recognize that international solutions are necessary to conserve remaining population of large mammals, especially ones which have large territories or are migratory. Hopefully the goodwill created by this rigorous study will aid the survival of these magnificent felines.
