Threatened species of Panthera pardus orientalis
Name(s):
Threatened species of Amur leopard
Nature
The Amur leopard's habitat and food supply are threatened by arbitrary post-Soviet private grazing in Turkmenistan's mountains, and it is still poached.
Background
Also called the Manchurian or Korean leopard, they occupy a remote area of the China-Russia border and North Korea. In China and Korea they are on the verge of extinction, and in Russia they are estimated to number 30 adults.
By the end of the Second World War, the Near Eastern leopard range had declined to only the south and south central Turkmenistan and small parts of Uzbekistan. While this leopard is not yet extinct, its numbers remain precariously low. Near Eastern Leopard researchers in the USSR estimate less than 100 leopards remain.
Incidence
One of the most endangered big cats in the world, they are on the IUCN Critically Endangered Red list. They lost 80% of their range in the wild just between 1970-1983.
In July 1993, the Turkmenistan Minister of Nature Use and Environmental Protection issued a semi-secret decree authorizing hard-currency hunts on leopards and other endangered animals in Turkmenistan.
Claim
Efforts to save the Siberian tiger will also help this cat, as the larger range protected for the tiger will also make room for the leopard. However, with the breakup of Russia and widespread illegal trade of tiger and leopard products, both of these cats could be extinct in the wild in a few short years.
Type
(S) Suspect problems