NOTE: You do not have to cross any barriers to easily find this cache

Spot The Leopard

The leopard is one of the most successful land mammals in the eastern hemisphere, but from Africa to the Far East it has suffered drastic declines due to poaching for its pelt and for traditional medicines, loss of its prey and habitat destruction.

The critically endangered AmurLeopard inhabits the temperate mixed forest and woodland in southeastern Russia, northern China (Manchuria) and North Korea where it hunts deer, pigs, pheasants, monkeys and small mammals. There are only 30 individuals of the Amur race left in the wild – far fewer than in captivity, where 55 zoos exhibit about 225 animals. Many zoos, including ours, participate in an international breeding program to help save these endangered animals. Leopards weigh 40 to 90 kg but can overcome much larger prey through strangulation or a powerful bite to the neck. It ambushes prey at speeds up to 60 km/hr and may leap 6 metres and clear a height of 3 metres. Leopards are solitary, associating only long enough for mating. Females have one to six young every one or two years, and these reach maturity at age three. Black leopards (sometimes called ‘black panthers’) are common in dense moist forests.

The Persian Leopard lives in the desert scrub, forested valleys and mountain steppe in Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Armenia. Deer, sheep, goats, gazelles, wild boar, small mammals and birds are hunted. This critically endangered subspecies of the leopard is one of the largest of seven races of leopards, males reaching a weight of 80 kg, females 60 kg. It is paler than other races and sports large black rosettes on the sides and shoulders. Like the snow leopard, the Persian leopard is native to a harshly cold plateau and mountainous region and is therefore remarkably cold hardy and suitable for display in Winnipeg.

This race is also one of the most rare in zoos worldwide, with only about 150 individuals originating from 10 founders from the wild. Less than 2,000 survive in its native range, and considering the ongoing war in the region, the future of the Persian leopard is unclear. A few individuals have reached 23 years of age in zoos, but wild leopards seldom live beyond 11.

The Snow Leopard inhabits the alpine meadow and open coniferous forest in the mountains of 12 countries of central Asia, especially China and Mongolia. Their food sources are sheep, goats, young yak, deer, marmots, hares, mice and birds. Critically endangered, with less than 5,000 remaining in the wild, the species is protected in most areas. Populations are still being decimated for the animal’s fur, body parts for medicinal use and to protect livestock. The snow leopard shows many adaptations for a life at high elevations including a thick, camouflaged fur coat and a long tail, which it wraps around itself for added warmth when resting. It is remarkably agile in negotiating rocky ground, steep slopes and deep snow, using its long tail for balance. It ambushes prey at speeds up to 60 km/h, then kills with a bite to the neck or by strangulation. Males average 50 kg while the female averages 40 kg. Solitary in the wild for most of the year, members of a pair mate from January to March, and the female gives birth to 1-7 young in the spring. The Assiniboine Park Zoo participates in the International Snow Leopard Survival Program and has contributed over 21 cubs since 1963.