Amur Leopard Reintroduction Project

The Amur leopard is the world's most endangered big cat, with as few as 25 individuals now surviving in the Russian Far East. This population is in grave danger of extinction due to various factors including ongoing development in the region, logging activity, hunters and poachers in the forests, forest fires, inbreeding depression due to low genetic diversity within the remaining leopard population, the potential for disease transmission from domestic animals and environmental disasters.

However, a coalition of foreign non-governmental agencies and regional agencies of the Russian Federation are currently working together to secure a future for this leopard through vigorous conservation activities to protect the existing small population. Alongside this, an imaginative reintroduction scheme is planned to establish a second population, from captive-origin animals, in former leopard habitat.

By supporting the work of Dr John Lewis on Amur leopards, WVI has rapidly become the main agency providing veterinary support for conservation efforts to save the endangered Amur leopard.

Update October 2011

Dr Lewis is currently half way through his annual trip to gather health data on Amur leopards and compatriots, and has so far caught TWO large bears and TWO large male tigers. See the News Page for more information or follow John's trip on Facebook.

More information

For more information about the conservation of Amur leopards and other wildlife in the Russian Far East, you may wish to read more about WVI's Amur leopard work, or explore these websites.

• To read about WVI's extensive work with Amur leopards and tigers in 2010, click here
• Summary report of Autumn 2009 visit
• Full report on Autumn 2009 visit
• Summary of WVI's Autumn 2008 Trip
• Click here to read a summary of WVI's Autumn 2007 visit to Russia
• AMUR - Amur leopard and tiger conservation charity
• Find out more about the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance, of which WVI is a member

WVI is committed to supporting this project long-term. We need to raise at least £25,000 per year to continue to provide veterinary services to this project. This amount is likely to increase as we get nearer to the breeding and release phases. If you wish to make a donation, however big or small, to this and other projects, please click here to see how you can do so safely and efficiently.

Thank you

Images

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Conservation medicine is not always easy - Dr John Lewis' bedroom for two months!	Training local vets in immobilisation techniques for prey species
Training local vets in drug handling and immobilisation techniques	It is important to know what diseases captive leopards carry too, so they are also health checked regularly
Captive leopards are being examined to determine normal heart sounds, following an abnormality noticed in wild leopards

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