This is the world's rarest cat

Nov 15, 2006 08:19 GMT  ·  By

Biologists from the Wildlife Conservation Society captured last week a wild feline considered the world's most endangered big cat: a Far Eastern leopard.

The Far Eastern leopard (more commonly known as Amur leopard from Amur river crossing its homing habitat) is a subspecies of the common leopard (or panther) which we see on documentaries from Africa to India and Borneo, unlike snow leopard and clouded leopard, which are distinct species.

This is the only common leopard adapted to harsh winters, which he must endure in its Eastern Siberian habitat.

The total population of this cat left in the wild is of 30, roaming between southern Russian Far East and neighboring areas in Northeastern China and North Korea.

The capture of the 45 kg (100 pound) male was made in Southwest Primorski Krai in the southern Russian Far East less than 20 miles (32 km) from the Chinese border.

Scientists from WCS, Institute of Biology and Soils of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity of the National Cancer Institute performed medical evaluations on the specimen including sperm collection to check its capacity to reproduce, after which the animal was released.

Genetic analyses and bio-medical evaluations will reveal whether leopards and tigers are under the effects of inbreeding, a common problem in small wildlife populations.

That is because the same area is the home for the Siberian tiger (photo below), the largest and most endangered subspecies of tiger.

Currently, more than 400 Siberian tigers occur in the wild but less than 20 tigers in Southwest Primorye are isolated from the main population to the east and north, triggering concern about their genetic composition and vigor.

Of course, the Amur leopard is far more endangered than the Siberian tiger, and concerns about the genetic status of this cat are even greater.

Because of its scarcity, up to now, no information on these felines has been available to monitor the risk of disease or inbreeding.

"This capture represents a milestone in our cooperative efforts to save the Far Eastern leopard and Siberian tiger from extinction," said Dale Miquelle, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Russia Program.

"With the information gained from these animals, and others to come, we will be in a much better position to determine appropriate conservation actions."

If there is a great deal of inbreeding, new genetic material could be introduced into this population, as was done for the Florida panther (of course, a very incorrect name as this is in fact a subspecies of puma or cougar).

Pumas from Texas were introduced into Florida, which led to increased reproductive rates and greater vitality of the Florida population.

This study is a first in assessing vital indicators of the health status of leopards and tigers from Eastern Siberia for conservation programs.

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