Amur Leopards Explore New Zoo Home

An active 11-month-old Amur leopard explores its new exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. CREDIT: Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo View full size image

Three 11-month-old Amur leopards have been tirelessly exploring their new exhibit at the San Diego Zoo since making their debut last weekend.

In a picture taken yesterday (April 12), one of the leopard siblings looks for something to climb on while one of its two siblings relaxes in the background.

Amur leopards are a critically endangered species, with only about 40 individuals though to exist in the wild. They are found mostly in the Russian Far East, in cold, high-elevation habitats. A new park intented to conserve the species was announced earlier this week by the conservation group WWF and covers about 60 percent of the leopards' habitat. Human encroachment on the species' habitat has been a large cause in its population declines.

About 300 Amur leopards exist in zoos around the world, and they, like the trio at the San Diego Zoo, are part of an effort to breed and conserve the species.