Rare evidence of big cats breeding

29 November 2013

WWF has released infra-red photos showing rare evidence of endangered Amur leopards and tigers roaming freely with their cubs in China’s north-eastern forests. The images been hailed by WWF conservationists as rare evidence that both of these species are raising cubs in the greater Changbai Mountains area, which has not been documented before.

The camera traps, set up by WWF and Feline Research Centre of SFA, show an Amur leopard with two cubs strolling in the Wangqing National Nature Reserve, 30 kilometers away from Hunchun. “These are unprecedented image evidences showing Amur leopard actually breeds in China,” said Dr. Jiang Guangshun - executive deputy director of the Feline Research Centre of SFA. “This female Amur leopard is with its twin cubs at least, which are 5-months-old.”


The appearances of breeding groups not only serve as convincing evidence that Amur tigers and leopards reproduce and inhabit China’s Changbai Mountains area but also a demonstration that big cats are moving towards greater Changbai areas and inland regions.

The corridor and network linking Wangqing, Hunchun, Suiyang and Dongning in the Northeast is a prioritized area for WWF’s tiger and leopard conservation work.

“It’s a major distribution area of Amur tiger and leopard. What’s more, it is a vital path for big cats to move towards China’s inland,” said Fan Zhiyong, director of species programme at WWF-China.



“We look to improve the environment of habitats for Amur tiger and leopard in China, so as to ensure the big cats can breed and their population can therefore recover,” said Shi Quanhua, head of WWF’s Northeast China Office. 


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