Unlike previous attempts to introduce large cats to the wild, this program has the support of the Russian Government and all reintroduction candidates will come from leopards bred in zoos. Need help finding something?
Home Blog. Like many endangered species, the threats Amur leopards face are incredibly complex. To provide financial support for protection of leopards and their habitat in hunting leases in Southwest Primorye. Environmental education targeted at hunters and local people concerning leopard conservation signs, lectures, mass media, etc.
The population descends from a 19th century Northeast Asian subspecies whose range had extended through eastern Russia, North Korea and North Eastern China. A molecular genetic analysis of leopard DNA collected from the remaining RFE population and from captive animals derived from the North Korean NK population, using mitochondrial gene sequences Control region and NADH5; base pairs plus 25 nuclear microsatellite loci, has revealed a marked depletion of population genetic diversity relative to that observed using the same genetic markers in other leopard subspecies.
The findings affirmed the subspecies level distinctiveness of the P. The observations were evident for both the RFE and the NK populations, samples of which although limited — 7 and 5 individuals respectively , showed highly similar genotypes and amounts of genetic depletion. The levels of diversity measured are remarkably low, indicative of a history of inbreeding in the population for several generations.
The levels of genetic depletion observed in P. Such levels of genetic reduction have been associated with severe congenital and reproductive abnormalities that impede the health, survival and reproduction of some but not all genetically diminished small populations.
Such abnormalities have not been observed in the free ranging P. When considered in the context of non-physiological perils that threaten small populations e. The captive population of Amur leopard was established in from 9 wild born founders as a back-up to the wild population.
Molecular genetic analysis of a sampling of 22 individuals revealed that the population contains appreciable genetic diversity compared to the wild population or other leopard subspecies. However, that diversity is clearly the result of representation of a mixture of founders from P. At least two founders SB2 and SB89 and their offspring show genetic influence that is diagnostic for P.
As such the captive population is robust and genetically diverse and should be considered as a potential source for restoration of the genetically diminished wild population. Evolutionary coalescent calculations based on molecular genetic distance between subspecies indicate that gene flow between P. Thus the captive population would genetically reflect the common gene flow status of a contiguous range of East Asian leopards that had occupied Asia a millennium ago.
As such it would seem to provide a suitable candidate population for potential restoration of the wild population of P. This population has a founder base of 15 animals, of which three have not yet produced any surviving offspring. Four of the founders are on record as originating from Russia, ten including the three that have not yet bred from North Korea, and one from an unknown location — the notorious founder number 2. Molecular genetic work indicates that not only founder 2 but also founder 89 belongs to the subspecies P.
These ten animals consist of six adults which originated from North Korea and four cubs born to them, and are listed in Table 1 below.
As can be seen, of the ten living animals with no contribution from founders 2 or 89, one is infertile, another is probably infertile, two are fertile but have not yet produced any surviving offspring, several are close to the end of their reproductive lives, and three of the young ones have defects that are probably due to inbreeding.
It has been clear since that these few leopards derived solely from Korea are not nearly numerous enough, nor from a sufficiently large founder base, to produce a healthy and viable population if they are managed in isolation. EEP policy has therefore been to mate leopards without any founder 2 in their genome to leopards with low levels of these founders in their genome, instead of exclusively with each other. The PMP population does not contain any animals without founder 2 in their genome and so did not have to make the management decision above, but is effectively being managed on similar lines.
Relevant data are reproduced in Table 2 below provided by the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity. Values shown are the coefficient of similarity Mxy. A parent-child, or brother-sister pairing in a large unrelated population would have a coefficient of 0. The high values shown here are equivalent to the result of continuous brother-sister matings over generations. Pairing between and — has produced one cub with bone deformity Pairing between and — has produced one cub with one testicle and one with bone deformity Table 2: Coefficients of similarity Mxy between the leopards without genetic contribution from founder 2.
The data in Table 2, in combination with the recent birth of the third defective cub, make it clear that the existing EEP policy does not go far enough; in fact, all attempts to produce cubs from pairings between the Korean leopards listed in Table 1 should cease immediately. Those Korean leopards that are fertile should be paired instead with animals containing low levels of founder 2 in their genome in order to begin producing healthy, less inbred cubs while also decreasing the overall representation of founder 2 in the population.
Once this process is under way, and if a restoration program is judged to be a necessary and feasible part of an integrated strategy for the long-term conservation of Amur leopards in the wild, it is likely that in about three years time the captive population will be in a position to provide adult stock from which cubs could be produced for such a program.
Abramov V. Unaffiliated Arjanova T. Khasan Agro-deer farm Bereznyuk S. Phoenix Fund Bogachov A. Primorskaya Agriculture Academy Darman Yu. Khasan Agro-deer farm Kolonin G. Dalpushnina Ltd. Kulikov A. Khabarovsky Wildlife Foundation Kushnerenko A. Far Eastern Customs Lankin A. Far Eastern Customs Mezentsev D. Unaffiliated Murzin A. Consultant of Phoenix Fund Shaitarov S.
Tiger Volunteer Solkin V. Zov Taigi Starostin V. Tiger Inspection Stetskaya G. Tiger Inspection, Uphyrkina O. Nezhinskoe Hunting Lease Yavnova N. Tiger Inspection Zhuravlev Yu. Tiger Inspection.
Blomqvist L. Asia Cats Conrad K. Asia Cats Hotte M. Tigris Foundation Jones M. The Wildlife Conservation Network is an organization that shares our belief that the money should go to the animals and not be wasted on salaries and benefits for those who are doing the fundraising. Olga Uphyrkina has been responsible for guiding a group of Russian conservationist to save the Amur Leopard. We met her at the Wildlife Conservation Network conference in and she was a party to the plans above.
She and her team of researchers are supported in part by Wildlife Conservation Network. To make a donation to help save snow leopards in the wild go to www. Outlined below are the reasons for our concern:. Plodprasop Suraswadi no longer sees any need for the animals from Kenya. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
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Grace Mead says:. December 7, at am. It should not be a surprise that the biggest predators of these wonderful animals are humans. In addition, hunting, habitat loss and retaliatory killings are additional pressures resulting in many of the Leopard subspecies teetering on the brink of disaster.
These beautiful, solitary creatures deserve a chance to thrive in the wild. Status Near threatened Population About , total Habitats Varies widely by subspecies, forests, mountains, grassland and deserts Poaching Killed for pelts and teeth.
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