Amur leopard captured on camera in China for first time since 1949

One of the world's rarest big cats has been captured on camera in China for the first time since 1949.

An Amur leopard, also known as a Wild Manchurian leopard, was photographed in a forest in Wangqing county, on the border of Russia and North Korea.

The adult leopard was caught by an automatic infrared camera set up by a researcher from Peking university.

Sun Ge, the researcher, said the photograph had been a stroke of serendipity. "I am actually researching herbivorous animals in three forests around the county, and I had not expected to capture an image of an Amur leopard at all," he said.

Mr Sun had set up 40 cameras around the forest in the Spring, returning to collect the images every 20 days. The leopard was photographed on September 19.

There are fewer than 50 Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis) left living in the wild, almost all of them in Russia. The cat is classified as technically extinct in China, although there could be around ten of them roaming the Sino-Siberian border.

An Amur leopard, also known as a Wild Manchurian leopard, was photographed in a forest in Wangqing county, on the border of Russia and North Korea.

The adult leopard was caught by an automatic infrared camera set up by a researcher from Peking university.

Sun Ge, the researcher, said the photograph had been a stroke of serendipity. "I am actually researching herbivorous animals in three forests around the county, and I had not expected to capture an image of an Amur leopard at all," he said.

Mr Sun had set up 40 cameras around the forest in the Spring, returning to collect the images every 20 days. The leopard was photographed on September 19.

There are fewer than 50 Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis) left living in the wild, almost all of them in Russia. The cat is classified as technically extinct in China, although there could be around ten of them roaming the Sino-Siberian border.

By Malcolm Moore, Shanghai
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8823786/Amur-leopard-captured-on-camera-in-China-for-first-time-since-1949.html