Amur Leopard

Amur Leopard is the world's most endangered big cat, with roughly 120 adults remaining in the wild across the Russian Far East and northeast China. This population is 40 times smaller than the average for wild leopard subspecies, making it critically imperiled. Threats include habitat loss from logging and fires, poaching for their spotted pelts, and inbreeding depression, which reduces genetic diversity and reproductive success. Conservation efforts have increased their numbers from about 35 individuals in the early 2000s, but they remain dangerously close to extinction without continued protection.