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 January 2010

Dr Lewis has returned from Autumn 2009 visit - to read more about this trip, please click on visit report link below.

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.

• 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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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
Some captive leopards are now being trained to let John listen to their hearts whilst they are awake!

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