Zoo welcomes birth of critically endangered Amur leopard

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - The Potawatomi Zoo welcomed the birth of an Amur leopard cub, a critically endangered animal.

The male cub was born on September 8 to his mother, Anastasia, and father, Mango. The cub does not yet have a name.

There are only about 100 Amur leopards in the wild and about 200 in zoos worldwide, according to the Potawatomi Zoo, making the cub’s birth a big win for animal conservation.

“Not only is it critical for zoos to have a sustainable population of this amazing species, but it’s possible that what we learn about Amur leopards could hopefully, someday, help bring them back from the brink of extinction,” said Josh Sisk, executive director of the Potawatomi Zoo.

Amur leopards were native to a part of southeastern Russia, northern China and the Korean peninsula. They are now only in a small part of the Russian Far East, according to the Potawatomi zoo. Loss of habitat, poaching and a split in population has led to the near extinction of the species.

The zoo said Anastasia, a first-time mom, showed some mothering instincts but was not giving the cub the full care it needed. So, staff stepped in.

A shared decision was made between the zoo vet and animal care management to hand-rear the cub. With 24/7 care for the first few weeks of his life, the zoo said the cub seems to be growing healthy and strong.

“It’s hard to predict the future, but our plan is to raise the cub until he is old enough to be placed in another zoo, hopefully to be paired with another female as recommended by the Amur Leopard [Species Survival Plan],” Sisk said.

The zoo’s Big Cat Tracks, still under construction, is going to be a new habitat for the Amur leopards and tigers and is designed to promote more breeding of the leopards.

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