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 A confiscated leopard skin |
ConservationLEOPARDS — GOOD AND BAD NEWSIn the past few days we have received both good and bad news about the Amur leopards. The bad news is that at least 6 skins have been confiscated in the past 12 months and that probably represents only half the actual number of leopards that have been poached. The scientists have just finished this year’s count using two methods; counting tracks in the snow and monitoring the results of camera traps where a camera in the trees photographs the leopards as they pass by. This new survey shows that there are a total of about 33 adult Amur leopards now living wild. The good news is that the scientists have started planning for possible reintroduction from zoo-bred stock. AMUR will be funding a research scientist from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to go to the Russian Far East to carry out disease risk assessment on the remaining wild leopard population. AMUR will soon be running a media campaign in both the UK and Russia to try to draw attention to the terrible situation facing the Amur leopards. Leopard Booklet A few years ago a wonderful children’s booklet was produced in Russian which tells stories of Russian Amur leopards with games for the children to play. It is used as an educational tool in schools in the Russian Far East. AMUR has just paid for an 8,000 reprint of this booklet and the new version will also be used in schools in Moscow.
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