Fast facts

* The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus) in the Felidae family is classed as a mammalian in the carnivorous order.

* It is one of the 10 living subspecies of leopard, according to a recent genetic study.

* Leopards are predominantly solitary and are active during the night.

* The Amur leopard is hunted for its coat and bones which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

* The efforts made to save another big cat living in the same area - the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) has shown some positive results, but the Amur leopard had been largely overlooked until the discovery that only a few (may be less than even 30) remain in the wild today.

* In order to safeguard the remaining population of these beautiful big cats, an area in China's Jilin Province has recently been set aside for the creation of a national park.

* Amur leopards in captivity are fed commercially prepared food which contain all the essential minerals and vitamins the animals require.

*In captivity, the lifespan of the Amur leopard is only about 17 years.

* Leopards are excellent climbers and can leap vertically up to 10-15 feet.

* The Amur leopard was classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2004.

* Leopards give a distinctive rasping call, rather than a grow as their main vocalisation.

* Due to a reduction of its normal prey in the wild, these leopards have been forced to hunt domestic livestock, including farmed deer, exposing themselves more to the danger of being killed.

A magnificent speciman of an animal belonging to the felidae family, (cat family), the Amur leopard - Panthera pardus, is one of the most critically endangered big cats in the world.

Even though it once encompassed (encircled) the Amur River basin, the mountains of northeastern China and the Korean peninsula, today it survives only in the Russian Far East, thus earning the name the Far Eastern leopard. Some may be found in northeast China.

The number of leopards, however have reduced drastically today. A survey done in November 2006 had revealed that there were only 25-35 Amur leopards living in the wild. Despite this animal being a protected species following the threat of extinction, a leopard shot to death by an unknown party had been discovered very recently from near the North Korean and Siberian border. Poachers kill these big cats for their beautiful fur coats and also as trophy hunting.

This has an impact on reducing the already threatened leopard population. In addition to poaching, loss of habitat due to logging and farming, as well as a decrease in the animal's main prey, the roe and sika deer too has greatly contributed to the decline of this creature. Scientists say that at least a 100 of these animals are needed to prevent the Amur leopard from becoming extinct.

Believe it or not, only seven female Amur leopards are said to be surviving at present. Even though a female leopard generally gives birth to as many as six cubs in a litter in the spring or early summer months, the chances of these mothers surviving, leave alone the cubs, are uncertain, given the rate of habitat loss and poaching. It is also said that when stressed, they give birth only to male cubs.

This beautiful big cat is mostly found in the forest of the Amur River Valley of Siberia and Manchuria and also Korea. Like most of its big cousins, consigns, it is a solitary animal. It is also nocturnal and therefore very active at night. The Amur leopard hunts prey such as roe (a type of deer), sika deer, wild boar, hares, badgers and even small rodents. As the leopard is a good climber, it sometimes hides its leftover prey in trees, to eat later.

In general appearance, the Amur leopard is very similar to most other leopards, but there are distinctive differences. One of the most significant differences is in the coat. The Amur leopard has a longer fur coat which helps it to survive in the cold weather of its habitat. Its fur grows up to seven centimetres in length, during winter to help it keep warm.

The fur is dark golden orange in colour in the summer, but during winter, the colour fades to a lighter hue allowing it to blend easily into the environment without being spotted. Most of you must be aware that leopards and cheetahs have spot-like designs on their coats while tigers have stripe-like patterns.

Well, these spot-like designs are called rosettes. And, the rosettes on the Amur leopards's coat are much larger than those on the coats of most leopards; they are more widely spaced too with thick, unbroken rings.

This beautiful leopard, which is well adapted to life in the harsh winter conditions in its habitat, has long legs and weighs about 32-48 kg (males) and 25-43 kg (females).

Those of you who have seen the leopards that live in our land (either in their natural habitat or at the zoological gardens at Dehiwela), will know what magnificent animals they are. The Amur leopard is said to be much more beautiful than our leopards.

Don't you think that all these big cats need to be protected? Today we hear about so many of our friends in the wild facing the threat of becoming extinct, mostly due to the cruel acts of man.

It's time we made a commitment to be more sensitive to the needs of all our animal friends, even when making development plans. Most often human development has a drastic impact on animal life, making it very difficult for many animals who are already struggling to survive, due to natural phenomena like forest fires and global warning, even more difficult.

It is said that a variety of proposed economic development projects, including the building of an oil pipeline, is threatening the last wilderness refuge of these magnificent leopards.

What will the fate of these animals be in a few years? They certainly should not be allowed to meet the same fate as the mammoth. Let's hope, the efforts made by conservationists to protect this animal would prove successful and the Amur leopards in the wild will not disappear from the face of Mother Earth!

Facts and Pix: Internet