Spot The Leopard
The leopard is one of the most
successful land mammals in the eastern hemisphere, but from Africa
to the Far East it has suffered drastic declines due to poaching
for its pelt and for traditional medicines, loss of its prey and
habitat destruction.
The
critically endangered
AmurLeopard inhabits the temperate mixed
forest and woodland in southeastern
Russia, northern China (Manchuria) and North Korea where it hunts
deer, pigs, pheasants, monkeys and small mammals. There are only 30
individuals of the Amur race left in
the wild – far fewer than in captivity, where 55 zoos exhibit about
225 animals. Many zoos, including ours, participate in an
international breeding program to help save these endangered
animals. Leopards weigh 40 to 90 kg but can overcome much larger
prey through strangulation or a powerful bite to the neck. It
ambushes prey at speeds up to 60 km/hr and may leap 6 metres and
clear a height of 3 metres. Leopards are solitary, associating only
long enough for mating. Females have one to six young every one or
two years, and these reach maturity at age three. Black leopards
(sometimes called ‘black panthers’) are common in dense moist
forests.
The
Persian Leopard lives in the desert scrub,
forested valleys and mountain steppe in Afghanistan, Iran,
Turkmenistan and Armenia. Deer, sheep, goats, gazelles, wild boar,
small mammals and birds are hunted. This critically endangered subspecies of the
leopard is one of the largest of seven races of leopards, males
reaching a weight of 80 kg, females 60 kg. It is paler than other
races and sports large black rosettes on the sides and shoulders.
Like the snow leopard, the Persian leopard is native to a harshly
cold plateau and mountainous region and is therefore remarkably
cold hardy and suitable for display in Winnipeg.
This
race is also one of the most rare in
zoos worldwide, with only about 150 individuals originating from 10
founders from the wild. Less than 2,000 survive in its native
range, and considering the ongoing war in the region, the future of
the Persian leopard is unclear. A few individuals have reached 23
years of age in zoos, but wild leopards seldom live beyond
11.
The
Snow Leopard inhabits the alpine meadow
and open coniferous forest in the mountains of 12 countries of
central Asia, especially China and Mongolia. Their food sources are
sheep, goats, young yak, deer, marmots, hares, mice and birds.
Critically endangered, with
less than 5,000 remaining in the wild, the species is protected in
most areas. Populations are still being decimated for the animal’s
fur, body parts for medicinal use and to protect livestock. The
snow leopard shows many adaptations for a life at high elevations
including a thick, camouflaged fur coat and a long tail, which it
wraps around itself for added warmth when resting. It is remarkably
agile in negotiating rocky ground, steep slopes and deep snow,
using its long tail for balance. It ambushes prey at speeds up to
60 km/h, then kills with a bite to the neck or by strangulation.
Males average 50 kg while the female averages 40 kg. Solitary in
the wild for most of the year, members of a pair mate from January
to March, and the female gives birth to 1-7 young in the spring.
The Assiniboine Park Zoo participates
in the International Snow Leopard Survival Program and has
contributed over 21 cubs since 1963.