Another GB cause
On his list to Santa this year, GB decided he wanted to adopt another endangered animal. Last time he adopted a Cheetah from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. This time he chose the Amur Leopard. Adoptions can be done through the World Wildlife Fund. GB was so disturbed when he learned that there were only 30-40 known Amur leopards in existence, and only 5-6 of those are female, that he wanted to make a request to all the kids in the blogging community. He wants everybody to include the adoption of an Amur Leopard on their Christmas wish lists.
Here is what we’ve found out about the Amur Leopard:
As the Russian Far East struggles to survive in Moscow’s shadow, the Amur leopard is disappearing in the shadow of the Siberian (Amur) tiger.
Millions of dollars have been raised to save the Siberian tiger by conservationists and wildlife management specialists with good results, when efforts began there were 150 Siberian tigers, today there are an estimated 400.
Although the leopard and tiger have overlapping ranges, there has been very little research done to protect the Amur leopard and it has virtually been ignored.
Major causes of the Amur leopards decline have been due to
- Habitat destruction caused by wildfires which burn unattended and out of control.
- Intensive logging and clear cutting.
- Elimination of its prey, hunting both legal and illegal (poaching) have all played a role in reducing the leopards to a fragment of its former habitat.
- The Amur leopard is also being poached for its beautiful coat and for its bones.
Here are some links:
