Spot the leopard... Spot would be an apt name for a leopard, wouldn't it? But I mean can you see it in the picture above? It is lounging high on a platform (top centre of the photo) looking out over the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Of all the animals I saw, this was the one that thrilled me the most. It is a truly magnificent beast - a critically endangered Amur leopard, native to temperate forests in the far east of Russia and north east China. Teetering on the edge of extinction due to poaching (for fur), prey scarcity and a diminishing gene pool, there are believed to be less than 70 surviving in the wild. The captive leopards here and in other facilities across the world are all part of a breeding programme designed to reintroduce animals to the wild.
Isn't it gorgeous? I actually found myself tearing up as I watched this truly awesome, beautiful big cat.
Equally impressive and equally endangered in the wild are the Amur tigers, from the same region of Russia/China. The three at YWP (one male, two females) are part of a breeding programme to conserve the species. There are believed to be less than 500 left in the wild. Three cubs born here in 2015 have now moved on to other locations around the world as part of the breeding programme. It's another gorgeous beast, roaming the 'Land of the Tiger', a large reserve with woodland, grassland, rocks, waterfalls and pools that allows the tigers plenty of space to explore.
There is more interesting information about the animals and the various conservation programmes on the YWP website HERE.
By hydrofoil I travelled down the Amur river which forms part of the border between Russia and China. In Eastern Siberia much timber is being extracted to supply the hungry Asian maw. I was told that a specialist conservation team went out to track an Amur tiger. No sign of one until at days end they discovered from tracks in the snow that the tiger had long been following them.
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny - excellent photos ... I hate to think what's happening with wildlife in Siberia at the moment ... I'm glad to see the animals here - thank you - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteVery Rare....
ReplyDeleteLovely photographs showing the power and grace of these animals.
ReplyDeleteI love wild "cats" which make the domestic ones seem to have some of that wildness still. So glad there are efforts to keep the species going.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics of this fine place, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteYou won. I didn't see it. The leopard and tiger are magnificent animals. I have seen leopards in the wild in Africa; this type seems bigger. Since seeing animals in their native habitat, I have become uncomfortable seeing them in zoos, but I do support the breeding programs as a necessary evil. Good luck to them.
ReplyDeleteThey are a sight to behold.
ReplyDelete