The cat that stalks alone: An endangered solitary hunter
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Common Name: Amur leopard, Far East leopard, Manchurian leopard, Korean leopard; Léopard d'Amur (Fr); (Sp)
Scientific Name: Panthera pardus orientalis
Habitat: Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Location: South of the Far East-Primorskii region (Russian Far East), Tzilin,
Heilundzyan Provinces (Northern China).
Population: Less than 40 individuals
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Background

The leopard is rarely found in cold or high-elevation environments and is best known in its more familiar home in the savannas of Africa, where populations are relatively stable.

However, in the northernmost part of its range, a rare subspecies of this cat lives in the temperate forests and harsh winters of the Russian Far East. This is the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), also known as the Far East leopard, the Manchurian leopard or the Korean leopard. IUCN's 2000 Red List of Threatened Species classifies the subspecies as Critically Endangered, and the CITES has listed it on Appendix I.

In 1998, the Russian government adopted a strategy for the conservation of the Amur leopard. WWF is supporting antipoaching activities in the Barsovy wildlife refuge, as well within the whole leopard habitat in the Russian Far East. The organization is also implementing programs to stop the traffic in Amur leopard parts and to increase the population of prey ungulate (hoofed) species in the leopard's habitat. WWF staff are also monitoring the leopard population and its habitat.




Physical Description


The Amur leopard has some very distinguishing features. Its summer pelt is 1 inch long but in winter it is replaced by an almost 3 inch long pelt. Apart from its long winter coat, the Amur leopard is easily told apart from other leopard subspecies by its widely spaced rosettes with thick borders. It also has longer legs, probably an adaptation for walking through snow.
The Amur leopard is habitually nocturnal and solitary. Nimble-footed and strong, it carries and hides unfinished kills so that they are not taken by other predators.


Size
Adult males: 70 - 105lbs, exceptionally large males weigh up to 165 lbs.
Females: 55 - 95 lbs.

Color
Light color in the winter, more reddish-yellow in the summer.




Habitat

Major habitat type
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests


Biogeographic realm
Palearctic


Range States
Russia, China, probably North Korea


Geographical Location
South of the Far East-Primorskii region (Russian Far East), Tzilin, Heilundzyan Provinces (Northern China).


Ecological Region
Russian Far East Temperate Forests


Interesting Facts
The Amur leopard has been reported to leap more than 19 feet horizontally and more than 9 feet vertically.

A great cat in a shrinking space

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Common Name: Iberian lynx, pardel lynx, Spanish lynx; Lynx d'Espagne (Fr); Lynx pardelle, lince ibérico (Sp)

Scientific Name: Lynx pardinus

Location: Southern Europe

Population: Around 110 individuals

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Background

Having decreased steadily in population numbers over the last two centuries, the Iberian lynx may soon be the first cat species to become extinct for at least 2,000 years. The species is classified by the World Union for the Nature (IUCN) as the world's most endangered feline species. Habitat loss and degradation, as well as the disappearance of food resources (rabbits) are contributing to this declining trend. Today, there are no more than 38 breeding females in the wild.

There are only two confirmed small and isolated breeding populations, both in southern Spain, containing together around 100 individuals, and these will disappear unless significant changes occur.

Urgent action is needed. WWF is calling for the Spanish National Government and the Regional Government of Andalucia to implement the captive breeding programme as a matter of urgency, and work with others to ensure the protection and appropriate management of the habitat and prey conditions for the Iberian lynx.

WWF has contributed to Iberian lynx conservation through the creation and sponsorship of the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE), which has led to the development of an action plan for the Iberian lynx among other species. Since 1998, WWF/Spain is actively working for the conservation of the species.

Physical Description

The Iberian lynx is a relative species of the Eurasian lynx, the Canada lynx and the North American bobcat. It is approximately the same size as the Canada lynx but about half the size of the Eurasian lynx, which survives in central and eastern Europe.

Adult lynx live in territories of up to 20 km², which they scent-mark and defend from each other, although male and female territories may overlap. Territories relate to areas of habitat and rabbit supply, and can change over generations.

The Iberian lynx's status as a separate species from the Eurasian lynx has long been questioned, but fossil records, morphological and genetic evidence have clarified its position as Lynx pardinus. The Iberian lynx is heavily spotted and weighs about half as much as the Eurasian species, with long legs and a very short tail with a black tip. Its coat is tawny with dark spots and it bears a characteristic "beard" around its face and prominent black ear tufts.
SizeA female Iberian lynx may weigh up to 10 kg or 13 kg for males, and reach up to 88 cm (female) or 1 m (male) at adult stage.

Habitat
Biogeographic realm: Palearctic
Range States: Portugal, Spain
Geographical Location: Southern Europe
Ecological Region: Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands and Scrub

Why is this species important?
Iberian lynx displace and kill other carnivores - including foxes, Egyptian mongooses, and feral cats and dogs - to ensure sufficient supplies of rabbit populations and to protect their offspring. The loss of the Iberian lynx could result in an increase in the density of more common predators and a consequent decrease in rabbit populations.

Interesting Facts
A mother may carry its cubs between up to 12 homes, to avoid predation.

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Common Name: Giant panda; Panda Géant (Fr); Panda gigante (Sp);
Scientific Name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca
Habitat: Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Location: Southwest China (Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan Provinces) to the east of the Tibetan plateau.
Population: Approximately 1,600 individuals in the wild
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Background

The giant panda is universally loved, and of course has a special significance for WWF as it has been the organization's symbol since it was formed in 1961.

Today, the giant panda's future remains uncertain. This peaceful, bamboo-eating member of the bear family faces a number of threats. Its forest habitat, in the mountainous areas of southwest China, is fragmented and giant panda populations are small and isolated from each other. Meanwhile, poaching remains an ever-present threat.

Over 50 reserves created


By mid-2005, the Chinese government had established over 50 panda reserves, protecting more than 4,000 square miles and over 45 percent of remaining giant panda habitat.


However, habitat destruction continues to pose a threat to the many pandas living outside these areas, and poaching is a further problem. Today, only around 61 percent of the population, or about 980 pandas, are under protection in reserves. As China's economy continues its rapid development, it is more important than ever to ensure the giant panda's survival.






WWF on the ground


WWF has been active in giant panda conservation since 1980, when it supported U.S. scientist Dr. George Schaller and his Chinese colleagues in field studies in the Wolong Nature Reserve. WWF was the first international conservation organization to work in China at the Chinese Government's invitation.


More recently, WWF has been helping the government of China to undertake its National Conservation Program for the giant panda and its habitat. This programme has made significant progress: Reserves for this species cover more than 6,000 square miles of forest in and around their habitat. The latest survey (released in 2004) revealed that there are 1,600 individuals estimated to remain in the wild.


Physical Description

Pandas have a white coat with black fur around their eyes, on their ears, muzzle, legs and shoulders. The unique physical features of the species include broad, flat molars and an enlarged wrist bone that functions as an opposable thumb - both of these adaptations are used for holding, crushing and eating bamboo.


Giant pandas are classified as bears and have the digestive system of a carnivore, but they have adapted to a vegetarian diet and depend almost exclusively on bamboo as a food source.


Pandas live mainly on the ground but have the ability to climb trees as well. While the species does not hibernate, it often relocates to lower altitudes in the winter and spring.

Size

Giant pandas are about 5 feet long from nose to rump, with a 4-6 inch tail. A large adult panda can weigh about 220-330 pounds, with males 10 percent larger and 20 percent heavier than females.

Color

Distinctive black and white coat.

Habitat
Major habitat type

Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests

Biogeographic realm

Palearctic

Range States

China

Geographical Location

Southwest China (Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan Provinces) to the east of the Tibetan plateau.

Ecological Region

Temperate Forests of the Upper Yangtze.

Why is this species important?

Panda habitat is found at the top of the Yangtze Basin, an ecoregion shared by both pandas and millions of people whose ancestors have utilized the region's natural resources for millennia. The Basin is the geographic and economic heart of China, and is one of the critical regions for biodiversity conservation in the world. Its diverse habitats contain many rare, endemic and endangered animal and plant species, the best known being the giant panda. Economic benefits derived from the Yangtze Basin include tourism, subsistence fisheries and agriculture, transport, hydropower and water resources.

The survival of the panda and the protection of its habitat will ensure that people living in the region continue to reap ecosystem benefits for many generations.

Interesting Facts
A giant panda may consume 26-83 pounds of bamboo a day to meet its energy requirements.