Amur Leopard

 Sadly this beautiful creature is on the critically endangered list with only 70 known individuals left in the wild. 

 The Amur Leopard is very much a lone, solitary animal, it is extremely nimble, light footed and strong. They can run at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour and are noted at being able to leap more than 19 feet and up to a height in the region of 10 feet. They often carry and hide unfinished kills to avoid them being taken by other predators. They have a life span of between 10 – 15 years in the wild though those kept in captivity are known to live up to 20 years.

Today the leopard inhabits about 1.900 square miles of the temperate forests of Russia’s Far East in the Province of Primorsky Krai, between Vladivostok and the Chinese border.  In 2007 a census recorded just 30 animals. A similar census was carried out in 2012 of the leopards known breeding ground and the numbers had increased to just 60 individuals, and a further 10 leopards were counted in the adjacent areas of China.