Animals Generally Are an Example

Animals generally are an example of how nature works instinct work because of their unique features of developing and adapting in a world full of unknown and adversities. The evolution of humanity had also brought negative effects for the animal reign because of the fast growing urban areas and the intensive agricultural activities. The Amur Leopard is one of nature's priceless creations and it is an impressing member of the animal reign as a big cat.

The species is even more priceless compared to others due to the fact that it is one of the most endangered species with an estimate of only 30 individuals still living in the wild. It is also known as the Far Eastern Leopard, the Manchurian Leopard, or the Korean Leopard and it is generally found West of Vladivostok near the border between Russia and China.

According to recent studies, there are ten living leopard subspecies and it stands out from the rest of the subspecies because of its pale coat and due to the fact that it is very well adapted for living in cold areas. The perfect place for the Amur leopard to flourish is within the forests from the Far East. Humans are responsible for most of the circumstances that lead to the endangering of the species.

Despite the fact that in the recent years endangered species have received more attention, it takes a supernatural effort to recover what was lost. The Amur leopard population has suffered the most during the second half of the 20th century as people were striking the full hit of industrialization and forests were cut out with no regards to the effects of their reckless behavior. Moreover, entire forests are destroyed every year on purpose because farmers are setting fires to get a more fertile soil.

The case of the Amur leopard is similar to its bigger relative, the Siberian (Amur) tiger, which is also an endangered species. The fact that people are more familiar with the situation of the Siberian tiger also helps to prevent the extinction of the Amur leopard because from the wildlife reserves and the favorable conditions created for the natural world to flourish would benefit more than one species.

As most felines, the Amur leopard is carnivorous and it usually feed on deer, which are widespread across the territory inhabited by the leopard. The Amur leopard is also known to prey on smaller mammals such as hares or badgers. The Amur leopard is a solitary hunter and is known to stalk its prey before attempting an attack. Similar to other leopard subspecies, it is a good climber and can hide its food in trees so that it can save it for later.

The Amur leopard is also remarkable due to the fact that it is an excellent swimmer and a very fast animal with a speed of approximately 37 miles per hour on short distances. It is highly territorial and it marks its territory with urine. Being a nocturnal feline, it is more active at night and it rests in the daytime.

It also stands out from other leopard subspecies because of its fur that has large rosettes and a vibrant color and it can grow to approximately 7 cm long during the winter time. Due to the fact that deer and other prey species have started to fall in numbers, the leopard and the tiger have began to search for prey inside villages and farms.

This gave people another reason to intervene in the process of endangering the species as a farmer would care less of an endangered species than of his profit. The Amur leopard's most important enemies are men, who take advantage of every chance they get of harming the animal through pollution, the cutting of forests and through poaching for fur and bones.

A great mistake that people make while considering the issue of the Amur leopard as an endangered species is that they tend to compare it to other leopard subspecies which are very numerous. On the other hand, the people trying to protect the species are attempting to convince others to finance the activity of protecting the Amur leopard, but despite the efforts of its supporters, little has been done concerning the issue and most people have preferred to pay no attention to the situation.

The Amur leopard individuals that live in captivity are not influencing the flourishing of the species because of improper breeding that often takes place. Because there are very little individuals left, breeding between close relatives tend to take place and from the approximately 150 leopards living in captivity, only as much as 12 animals are of pure breed. In 1998, the Russian government adopted a strategy for the conservation of the Amur leopard."(Fomenko, Pavel) in recent years.