In Images: Rare Amur Leopard Cubs Spotted on Camera

Rare sight

amur leopard cub on camera — (Image credit: WCS)

For the first time, two Amur leopard cubs were spotted on camera traps in China.

First breeding

amur leopard caught on camera trap — (Image credit: WCS)

The cubs were spotted with a mama leopard. The sighting is the first evidence of breeding in this critically endangered cat in this region of China.

Mama cat

amur leopard and cub in China — (Image credit: WCS)

Here, one leopard cub trails behind the adult female leopard.

Camera sighting

The camera trap that spotted the babies is part of a broader conservation effort to save these graceful predators from extinction.

Habitat loss

An Amur leopard in Russia — (Image credit: © WWF-Russia / ISUNR)

Eight Amur leopards have been caught on camera in southeastern Russia. Fewer than 40 of the big cats survive in the wild.

Newer population

amur leopards, critically endangered amur leopards, endangered species, threatened species, wild amur leopards, amur leopard video, leopards in russia, russian leopards — (Image credit: ©WWF Russia / ISUNR.)

The main habitat for the cats is in Far Eastern Russia, but the new sighting hints that the population may be rebounding slightly in China. Here, a mother Amur leopard looks after her full-grown cub in the forests of Far Eastern Russia.

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Tia is the managing editor and was previously a senior writer for Live Science. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired.com and other outlets. She holds a master's degree in bioengineering from the University of Washington, a graduate certificate in science writing from UC Santa Cruz and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Tia was part of a team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that published the Empty Cradles series on preterm births, which won multiple awards, including the 2012 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism.