This sub-species of the leopard counts as being among one of the rarest big cats on our planet. Originally from China and Russia, along the Amur river which flows into these two countries, this animal has seen its environment inexorably shrink until arriving at the edge of extinction. Its extreme rarity makes uncertain any estimates as to its numbers in nature, however, the most probable figures report fewer than 7 to 12 individuals in China, as well as 20 to 24 in Russia. Which since 1996 classes it as Critically Endangered, the last step before completely disappearing from the wild.
