Wild leopards spotted in N China's mountains

Chinese photographer Xiao Shibai and China Felid Conservation Alliance (CFCA) recently released some photos of the North China leopards (Panthera pardus japonensis) living at the middle section of Taihang Mountains in northern China. These photos were taken between May and November in 2023. 

"We hope that these photos and their stories can be spread more widely, so that more people can know about these animals in China and thus protect them," said the CFCA.

The CFCA is a non-profit organization specializing in the protection of wild cats in China. Since it was founded in 2013, the organization has identified over 90 adult leopards in this major habitat area. 

The spotted animal can grow as long as two meters and weigh around 70 kilograms. Its existence indicates that the surrounding forest has a healthy ecological system and the big cat can find enough food. At present, traces of the animal can be found in mountainous forests in north and northwest China.

Back in 1862, a pelt from this type of leopard arrived at the British Museum and British zoologist John Edward Gray named the subspecies as Panthera pardus japonensis since it was bought from Japan. However, leopards had never been spotted in the country as the leopard skin actually came from the mountainous area northwest of Beijing.

North China leopard lives only in China and establishes territories mainly along the Taihang and Yanshan mountains in the country's north. At the intersection of the two mountains, Beijing was an important habitat for them. 

As their living space has dwindled, their population shrank too. The animal was listed on the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2012. Since 2017, the CFCA has been working with local governments, public welfare organizations, universities, and the private sector to protect their habitats.

(All photos courtesy of Xiao Shibai and China Felid Conservation Alliance)

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Back to Beijing: Restoring leopards' habitat in N China