Moscow /
A hidden camera managed to capture a female of Amur leopard and their young, the rarest big cat species in the world, leaving an unusual family portrait of these endangered animals.
The sighting of these 4 felines, which They are named after the river that flows between Russia and China, it occurred in a national park in the Russian Far East; the recording first shows lmother on the prowl, but then her three cubs appear, who watch her calmly for more than a minute.
According to Ivan Rakov, park spokesperson Land of Leopards, Created in 2012 and located in the Russian region of Primorye, it is the first time this female has been filmed with her young.
“We found out that he was able to raise a family,” Rakov said, noting that it is the “first litter” of this mother named Leo 117F, which is estimated to be about four years old. According to the expert, raising such a large litter in the taiga is not an easy task and requires “a lot of space and food”.
Amur leopards, known for their climbing abilities, are considered the rarest big cats in the world and are critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Return from the dead
In recent years, measures taken by the Russian and Chinese authorities against deforestation and poaching have led to a significant increase in their numbers. Its population is currently estimated at more than 100 individuals in Russia, up from about 35 20 years ago.
For Ivan Rakov, the Amur leopard he has “returned from the dead.”
“It is a great success,” he says. Alexei Kostyria, responsible for rare species of the Russian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in the Amur region.
According to Kostyria, the creation of protected areas and joint efforts with China have saved the species from poaching, a practice that has now “practically” disappeared.
For a long time, These leopards were the object of intense hunting, since Chinese medicine attributed therapeutic virtues to them.
“At least 80 percent of their habitat is now under surveillance,” says Kostyria, noting that the population of deer, a favorite food of cats, has increased in this immense territory, which is also home to lynxes and tigers.
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