Critically endangered Amur leopard born in Scotland could be released into the wild in Russia

'Introducing such a large predator to the wild is incredibly complex but, all being well, we hope this may be possible in the next few years'

Freddo, the father, was brought to the Scottish park from Tallinn Zoo in Estonia (RZSS/Siân Addison)

One of the world’s rarest cats has given birth to at least one cub in a wildlife park in Scotland, giving conservationists hope the animals could be reintroduced to Russia in the near future.

In 2007 as few as 19 wild Amur leopards were thought to exist in Russia and China, but numbers have slowly risen above 100 through intense conservation efforts. The species – the rarest big cat in the world – remains listed as “critically endangered”.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park, in the Cairngorms National Park, is home to the world’s only purpose-built Amur leopard habitat. There is minimal human contact with the animals – the enclosure is not on public view – and it is not yet known if more than one cub has been born.

The environment has been designed solely to breed the rare big cats with the ultimate goal of releasing individuals into the wild.

Douglas Richardson, head of living collections at the park, said: “Our approach to managing this highly threatened cat is globally unique, with the zoo and conservation community watching what we do with a view to following our lead.

“Being able to send captive-bred Amur leopards back to a part of their historic wild range in Russia would represent an extraordinary conservation success.”

The species has suffered due to habitat loss, as well as through poaching and conflict with humans. Amur leopards have been extensively hunted for their pelts as well as for other body parts used in the lucrative traditional medicine trade.

Despite the success seen in raising numbers of the animals, considerable threats remain.

Mr Richardson said the Scottish park is eventually aiming to introduce cubs born there to a remote part of eastern Russia.

“Working with conservation partners, including ZSL [Zoological Society of London] and conservation authorities in Russia, we hope to introduce cubs born at the park to a region northeast of Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East,” he said.

“Introducing such a large predator to the wild is incredibly complex but, all being well, we hope this may be possible in the next few years.

“This is incredibly exciting and again demonstrates the vital role zoos and conservation breeding programmes have in protecting threatened species.”

The park’s breeding complex was completed last year and funded by an anonymous donation.

Freddo, the father, arrived from Tallinn Zoo in Estonia, while the mother, Arina, was born at Twycross Zoo in the Midlands.

“Initially we confirmed the birth by observing the behaviour of the mother, as Arina had become increasingly secretive,” Mr Richardson said.

“We have since heard cub vocalisations and one of our keepers caught a fleeting glimpse of Arina moving a cub from a distance.

“At this early stage we do not know if Arina has had more than one cub and we also need to emphasise that the first few weeks are a vulnerable time in a cub’s life. We have motion-sensitive cameras in place and hope these will tell us everything is okay and that we have healthy offspring.

“A cub’s first physical check-up would be when they are around three months old, at which point we would discover their gender,” he added.