Amur leopards run wild in the Highlands

RZSS Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland have recently completed construction work on a very large facility to help the rarest big cat in the world, the Amur leopard. The new enclosure, which covers a very large area of natural Highland habitat, has been created as part of a cold weather breeding programme designed especially for this critically endangered species.

The Highland conservation project, set within the Cairngorms National Park, has carefully introduced two Amur leopards, both born in 2014. It is hoped that male Freddo, born in Tallinn Zoo in Estonia, and female Arina, born at Twycross Zoo in the Midlands, will produce and rear cubs later this year.

Douglas Richardson, Head of Living Collections, RZSS Highland Wildlife Park said: “A specially designed, off-show, breeding complex for the Amur leopard is now complete and it was made possible due to a very generous anonymous donation. As the Park has large, undeveloped areas, it gave us the opportunity to build an extensive leopard facility that would allow us to produce and rear cubs that were not familiar with humans, making them directly eligible for a Russian reintroduction project.”

“If our leopards produce and rear cubs this year, we could be in a position to return cats to Russia by mid to late 2018, which is very exciting. Our Amur leopards will never be on show to our visitors but we hope to create an information hub that will explain all about this exciting conservation project and hopefully educate people about the plight of these animals.”

Although now better protected, the population of Amur leopards is less than 70 remaining in the wild, within their natural habitat in south east Russia. Classed as Critically Endangered, Amur leopards have been illegally hunted for their coat and the traditional medicine trade.

If you would like to follow the progress of the Amur leopard breeding  programme, or visit other attractions at the park, go to http://www.highlandwildlifepark.org.uk