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Save The Amur Leopard From Extinction

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Help strengthen Russia's wildlife laws and save the Amur leopard

Save The Amur Leopard From Extinction

The Amur leopard is one of the rarest big cats on Earth. Its numbers have risen from the brink thanks to years of conservation work, but the species remains critically endangered, with only around 130 mature individuals estimated in the wild.¹

That fragile recovery is not a reason to relax. It is a reason to act now.

Amur leopards still face serious threats from poaching, the illegal trade in wildlife parts, habitat damage, unsustainable logging, road building, fires, and the loss of prey species they need to survive.² ³ Every leopard killed matters when the total population is still so small.

Snares are especially dangerous. Research in Northeast Asia has found that snares pose a serious risk not only to prey animals, but also to Amur leopards and other large carnivores because they are indiscriminate and widespread.⁴ A single snare can maim or kill an animal that conservationists have spent years trying to save.

Russia has already shown that protection works. Land of the Leopard National Park was created to protect the species’ breeding grounds and much of its remaining habitat, and recent camera-trap monitoring in Russia recorded the highest Amur leopard density yet documented there. Researchers identified 28 individual leopards in the 2024 survey area, up from 16 in 2015.⁵

But that success is still fragile. Conservation groups say continued recovery depends on strong anti-poaching patrols, protection of prey populations, enforcement against trafficking, and safeguards against habitat destruction.³ ⁵ If enforcement weakens, the Amur leopard could lose the gains it has fought so hard to make.

Russia must not wait for another collapse.

The Russian government should intensify ranger patrols, remove snares, prosecute poachers and wildlife traffickers more aggressively, protect deer and wild boar populations that leopards rely on, and prevent further habitat degradation across the Amur leopard’s range. Protected land must also remain truly protected from illegal hunting and destructive development.² ³ ⁴

The Amur leopard is still hanging on. But survival is not the same as safety.

Sign the petition and urge the Russian government to take stronger action now to protect Amur leopards from poaching, trafficking, and habitat loss.

More on this issue:

  1. WWF (12 January 2026), “Amur Leopard.”
  2. World Wildlife Fund, “Amur Leopards: Rare, Fast, and Fiercely Independent.”
  3. WWF (12 January 2026), “Amur Leopard.”
  4. Qi Li, Jinzhe Qi, Jianyu Peng, Li Qu, Qing Xu, Christine Wenzel, and Minghai Zhang, Biological Conservation (2024), “Habitat accessibility and snares impact large cats and their prey in Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, China.”
  5. WildCats Conservation Alliance / WCS Russia (24 June 2025), “Critically Endangered Amur Leopards Reach Record Density in Russia."

The Petition

To the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment,

The Amur leopard remains one of the rarest big cats on Earth. Although conservation efforts have helped its numbers recover from the brink, the species is still critically endangered, with only around 130 mature individuals left in the wild. That means every poaching death, every snare, and every act of habitat destruction carries enormous consequences.

Amur leopards still face persistent threats from poaching, illegal wildlife trade, habitat degradation, and the loss of prey species they need to survive. Research has also shown that snares pose a serious risk to large carnivores and prey alike because they are indiscriminate and widespread.

Russia has already demonstrated that protection can work. Land of the Leopard National Park and anti-poaching efforts have helped support a measurable recovery, including record density findings in recent monitoring. But this progress is fragile and must be defended.

I urge your government to strengthen anti-poaching enforcement across Amur leopard range, increase snare removal, prosecute wildlife traffickers aggressively, protect prey populations, and prevent further habitat degradation from destructive activity. The recovery of the Amur leopard should not be treated as mission accomplished. It should be treated as proof that stronger action saves lives.

The Amur leopard is still not safe. Please act now to ensure this species is not pushed back toward extinction.

Sincerely,

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