Amur Leopard Research Articles

Influence of land use changes on landscape connectivity for North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis).

North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) is the most widespread subspecies of leopard and one of the rare and endangered species in China. It is currently confined to several isolated natural reserves, and little is known about its habitat network connectivity with land use changes. This study was conducted to assess the impacts of land use changes on landscape connectivity for North China leopard in the Great Taihang Region. Circuit theory‐based connectivity models and least‐cost path analyses were used to delineate pathways suitable for species movement, and evaluate the impacts of land use changes on landscape connectivity. The results revealed that there were 37 least‐cost paths in 1990 and 38 in 2020. The area of forest land increased from 57,142.74 km2 to 74,836.64 km2, with the percentage increasing from 26.61% to 34.85%. In general, the increase in forest land area promoted the landscape connectivity for North China leopard at broad spatial scales. The improvement of landscape connectivity was not always consistent with the land use changes, and there was a slightly decreasing trend on connectivity in some key movement barrier areas with high intensity of human activities. Improving landscape connectivity at broad spatial scales is as important as protecting the habitats (natural reserves) where the species lives. Our study can serve as an example of exploring the relationships between land use changes and landscape connectivity for species conservation at broad spatial scales with limited movement pattern data. This information is proved to be critical for enhancing landscape connectivity for the conservation concern of North China leopard and planning of natural reserves network.

Efficient and cost-effective non-invasive population monitoring as a method to assess the genetic diversity of the last remaining population of Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) in the Russia Far East.

Small populations of the endangered species are more vulnerable to extinction and hence require periodic genetic monitoring to establish and revisit the conservation strategies. The Amur leopard is critically endangered with about 100 individuals in the wild. In this study, we developed a simple and cost-effective noninvasive genetic monitoring protocol for Amur leopards. Also, we investigated the impact of fecal sample’s age, storage, and collection season on microsatellite genotyping success and data quality. We identified 89 leopard scats out of the 342 fecal samples collected from Land of the Leopard between 2014–2019. Microsatellite genotyping using 12 markers optimized in 3 multiplex PCR reactions reveals presence of at least 24 leopard individuals (18 males and 6 females). There was a significant difference in the success rate of genotyping depending on the time from feces deposition to collection (p = 0.014, Fisher’s exact test), with better genotyping success for samples having <2 weeks of environmental exposure. Amur leopard genetic diversity was found low (Ho− 0.33, HE− 0.35, and NA− 2.57) with no visible population substructure and recent bottleneck signature. Although a historical bottleneck footprint was observed. Mitochondrial DNA diversity was also found low with two haplotypes differing by a point mutation reported in 1,769 bp of investigated sequence covering parts of cytochrome b gene (846 bp), NADH-5 gene (611 bp) and control region (312 bp). We recommend periodic genetic monitoring of wild Amur leopards following the proposed methodology to achieve cost effectiveness and efficiency.

Comparison of the Genetic Diversity of the Captive and Wild Populations of the Tsushima Leopard Cat Using a GRAS-Di Analysis.

Simple SummaryThe Tsushima leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus) is exclusively found on the Tsushima Island in Japan; however, its population has been declining in recent years and is in danger of extinction. Hence, effort is underway for both in situ and ex situ conservation. Genetic management is also important in the management of captive populations, and various studies are being conducted regarding the same. In our previous study, we developed a reference genome of the Tsushima leopard cat and used GRAS-Di analysis, a genome-wide analysis, to genetically evaluate the wild populations. In this study, we attempted to improve the Tsushima leopard cat reference genome and compared the captive and wild populations by GRAS-di analysis. The results showed that the captive population had almost the same genetic diversity as the wild population and managed to remain in good condition.The Tsushima leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus) (TLC) is a regional population of the Amur leopard cat (P. bengalensis euptilurus) that lives only on the Tsushima Island in Japan and is threatened with extinction. Because the TLC population is small, genetic management is important. In this study, we obtained the draft genome of the TLC and identified single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers using a genotyping by random amplicon sequencing-direct (GRAS-Di) analysis. We genotyped 31 captive individuals and 50 wild individuals, of which 48 were from a previous study. The identified SNPs were used to clarify the genetic diversity and genetic structure of the wild and captive populations of the TLC. The size of the genome was estimated to be about 2.42 Gb. The number of SNP markers developed was 139, and although PID and probability of exclusion obtained using these SNP markers were not as high as those reported in the studies of other wild species, these SNP markers could be used to identify individuals and parentage. Moreover, the genetic diversity indices of the captive population were similar to those of the wild population. These SNP markers will be useful for understanding the ecology of the TLC and planning conservation strategies.

Temporal activity patterns of North China leopards and their prey in response to moonlight and habitat factors.

The nocturnal activities of predators and prey are influenced by several factors, including physiological adaptations, habitat quality and, we suspect, corresponds to changes in brightness of moonlight according to moon phase. In this study, we used a dataset from 102 camera traps to explore which factors are related to the activity pattern of North China leopards (Panthera pardus japonensis) in Shanxi Tieqiaoshan Provincial Nature Reserve (TPNR), China. We found that nocturnal activities of leopards were irregular during four different lunar phases, and while not strictly lunar philic or lunar phobic, their temporal activity was highest during the brighter moon phases (especially the last quarter) and lower during the new moon phase. On the contrary, roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) exhibited lunar philic activity, while wild boar (Sus scrofa) and tolai hare (Lepus tolai) were evidently lunar phobic, with high and low temporal activity during the full moon, respectively. In terms of temporal overlap, there was positive overlap between leopards and their prey species, including roe deer and tolai hare, while leopard activity did not dip to the same low level of wild boar during the full moon phase. Human activities also more influenced the temporal activity of leopards and wild boar than other species investigated. Generally, our results suggested that besides moonlight risk index (MRI), cloud cover and season have diverse effects on leopard and prey nocturnal activity. Finally, distinct daytime and nighttime habitats were identified, with leopards, wild boar, and tolai hare all using lower elevations at night and higher elevations during the day, while leopards and roe deer were closer to secondary roads during the day than at night.

Conservation potentials and limitations of large carnivores in protected areas: A case study in Northeast China

AbstractProtected areas are considered the cornerstone of endangered wildlife conservation. However, quantified conservation potentials and limitations of large carnivores in protected areas are lacking. In the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park (NTLNP) in China, our camera trap survey in 2019 found 26–27 adult Amur tigers and 49–59 adult Amur leopards occurring in the park. Based on spatial area, current prey populations, and environmental carrying capacity of prey, we estimated the supportable number of tigers to be 55, 90, and 101 individuals, respectively. For leopard, these values were 95, 356, and 572, respectively. Further simulations indicated that human land use change scenarios did not contribute much to increasing the potential prey‐supportable populations of Amur tiger and leopard. Our results showed that the number of tigers and leopards in NTLNP is currently low and has a high recovery potential. However, even the highest supportable population is not enough to support the sustainable existence of an Amur tiger population. Therefore, we suggest that, in addition to further restoration and improvement of the prey population and habitat quality in NTLNP, managers should strengthen the connectivity between NTLNP and other habitat patches to form a well‐connected network of protected areas. Promoting the spread of tigers and leopards outwards from this source population in NTLNP through ecological corridor construction would enlarge the area of habitat and is a crucial measure for realizing the sustainable survival of an Amur tiger population in Northeast China.

Individual automatic detection and identification of big cats with the combination of different body parts.

The development of facial recognition technology has become an increasingly powerful tool in wild animal individual recognition. In this paper, we develop an automatic detection and recognition method with the combinations of body features of big cats based on the deep convolutional neural network (CNN). We collected dataset including 12244 images from 47 individual Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) at the Siberian Tiger Park by mobile phones and digital camera and 1940 images and videos of 12 individual wild Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) by infrared cameras. First, the single shot multibox detector algorithm is used to perform the automatic detection process of feature regions in each image. For the different feature regions of the image, like face stripe or spots, CNNs and multi-layer perceptron models were applied to automatically identify tiger and leopard individuals, independently. Our results show that the identification accuracy of Amur tiger can reach up to 93.27% for face front, 93.33% for right body stripe, and 93.46% for left body stripe. Furthermore, the combination of right face, left body stripe, and right body stripe achieves the highest accuracy rate, up to 95.55%. Consequently, the combination of different body parts can improve the individual identification accuracy. However, it is not the higher the number of body parts, the higher the accuracy rate. The combination model with 3 body parts has the highest accuracy. The identification accuracy of Amur leopard can reach up to 86.90% for face front, 89.13% for left body spots, and 88.33% for right body spots. The accuracy of different body parts combination is lower than the independent part. For wild Amur leopard, the combination of face with body spot part is not helpful for the improvement of identification accuracy. The most effective identification part is still the independent left or right body spot part. It can be applied in long-term monitoring of big cats, including big data analysis for animal behavior, and be helpful for the individual identification of other wildlife species.

Free-ranging livestock altered the spatiotemporal behavior of the endangered North Chinese leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) and its prey and intensified human-leopard conflicts.

Widespread distribution of livestock in the natural habitats of large carnivores may negatively impact carnivore populations by reducing wild prey availability and increasing human-carnivore conflicts. In this study, we used camera-trapping data collected in the temperate forests of the Taihang Mountains in North China during 2016-2019 to examine whether and how free-ranging cattle affected habitat use and Diel activity patterns of the endangered North Chinese leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) and its 2 wild prey species, Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus), and wild boar (Sus scrofa). Residents were also interviewed to record livestock depredation events by leopards during 2015-2019. We found that roe deer spatially avoided sites frequented by cattle, but wild boar did not. In the growing seasons, leopards shared habitats with cattle and tended to increase their diurnal activities where cattle were present. All 3 study species exhibited fine-scale spatial-temporal segregation to cattle. Leopards selectively preyed on calves over adult cattle and livestock depredation frequency was positively correlated with the detection rates of cattle and wild prey, but not that of leopard. These findings not only show that through behavioral adaption large carnivores and their ungulate prey may persist under livestock disturbance, but also highlight how important proper livestock management is for conserving North Chinese leopards in this region. To enhance livestock management and mitigate human-leopard conflicts, we recommend specific actions, such as better guarding of free-ranging cattle or adoption of a captive farming system.

Study on the zoning of Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park

The Amur tiger and Amur leopard are the flagship species for biodiversity protection, since the eighteenth congress, the Central Committee of the Communist Party and State Council of China attaches great importance to the tiger and leopard conservation. The 12th Meeting of the Central Finance and Economics Leading Group proposed to integrate the main habitat of giant pandas, establish the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park and solve cross-regional and cross-sectoral institutional problems. The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park is an important environment where big cats and humans live together. The management and zoning of the park should fully consider not only the habitat environment for tigers and leopards, but also the habitat environment and safety for human beings. Based on the overall consideration of sensitivity, endangerment and distribution characteristics of protected objects, migration and reproduction characteristics of tigers and leopards and other big cats, production and living utilization status of residents and social development needs, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park proposed to adopt the Zoning-based Management and Control Mode for the first time. Through the factor extraction and analysis of the resources, environment, economic and social background in the region, the park uses GIS technology to extract and analyze the factors. It has been found that, according to the three principles of ecosystem, integrity, authenticity and coordination of protection and development, the park mainly aims to implement differential control over human activities, and the protection mechanism divides the control zones. The Zoning-based Management and Control Mode. The Zoning control enables the park to properly handle the relationship between the protection of the habitat of Amur tigers and Amur leopards and the maintenance of border security and stability, the production and life of indigenous residents. It also can make the park realize the harmonious coexistence and common development between man and nature.

Spatiotemporal patterns of cattle depredation by the North Chinese leopard in Taihang Mountains and its management strategy: A case study in Heshun, Shanxi Province

Spatiotemporal patterns of cattle depredation by the North Chinese leopard in Taihang Mountains and its management strategy: A case study in Heshun, Shanxi Province

SUCCESSFUL SURGICAL CORRECTION OF PHIMOSIS IN AMUR LEOPARDS ( PANTHERA PARDUS ORIENTALIS) USING A CARBON DIOXIDE LASER: CASE SERIES

Three juvenile (<1 yr of age), genetically related Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis) were diagnosed with phimosis. In all cases, no clinical signs were identified, and phimosis was detected during routine examination. Surgical enlargement of the preputial orifice was performed successfully using carbon dioxide laser with a 0.25-mm tip and an 8-watt continuous wave setting. A linear incision on the ventral aspect of the preputial opening allowed for complete preputial extrusion followed by placement of simple-interrupted sutures on both sides of the incision. No postoperative complications were observed, and there was no evidence of phimosis recurrence at subsequent examinations. Preputioplasty with carbon dioxide laser was used to successfully manage Amur leopards with phimosis. Given relatedness of these cases, a genetic predisposition for phimosis development in Amur leopards must be considered.

What factors relate with the activity synchronization intensity among big cats and their ungulate prey in Northeast China?

The activity synchronization rhythm is an important aspect of measuring interspecific interactions between predators and prey, and crucial for large carnivores conservation. However, little is known about what factors relate their activity synchronization dynamics. With the climate change and human society development, the spatial-temporal distribution and activity synchronized rhythm of large carnivores and their prey would inevitably be affected, which would further affect the adaptability of large carnivores and bring new challenges to their conservation. In this study, we hypothesized the ambient temperature and human activity would influence the activity synchronization intensity among Amur tiger, Amur leopard and ungulates (roe deer, sika deer and wild boar) through cross-correlation function and temporal niche overlap model based on the camera traps data. The result show that the activity rhythms of the five target species showed species and seasonal differences, the temporal niche overlaps between ungulates were normally higher than that between the cats and prey, the weakest overlap was observed between the two big cat species, and time-lags of similar rhythmic activity can reduce the temporal overlap pressures of species. Furthermore, we found that ambient temperature relate interspecific synchrony of roe deer-sika deer and roe deer-wild boar pairs at the daily scale. And at hourly scale, temperature and human activities exerted significantly positive or negative stresses on the interspecific activity synchronization of all target species, observed in all three seasons. Our study provides new insights on our understanding of the mechanisms by which sympatric predators and ungulate prey coexist and interact in view of temporal niche overlap, as well as how wildlife managers can manage the mammal assembly effectively. As the Amur tiger and leopard populations in China are being recovered quickly, the rapidly increasing predation pressure and limited environmental resources could have profound implications for the interaction and coexistence among these two large carnivores and their ungulate prey. Managers should strengthen the monitoring, and understand its causes and consequences, so as to develop effective protective measures.

Myoendocardial formations of heart atria and ventricles of the female Amur leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus) in normal fertile age

The object of the study is the hearts of four young reproductivefemales of the Amur leopard cat, a rare mammal representativeof the cat family. The animal is untamed and lives only in thewild. The material was selected during the autopsy according togenerally accepted methods. The age of the studied individualsof the Amur leopard cat was determined taking into account thedata; the internal structure features of the heart were studied.Earlier, we described the morphometric parameters of differentage groups male hearts. The heart of the studied individuals isslender, ellipsoid in shape; the myoendocardial formations of theatria have a well-defined ridge-like structure. The walls of theventricles are characterized by pronounced trabeculation. Thepapillary and trabecular complex includes: trabeculae carneaeof varying intensity, depending on the localization on the wall;septomarginal trabeculae that have their own distinctive featuresin the right and left ventricles; main and additional papillary muscles.The septomarginal trabeculae of the right ventricle have apronounced muscular structure; the corresponding formationsof the left ventricle are thin, tendon-like, significantly exceedingthe first in length. The most pronounced papillary muscles are localizedin the left ventricle. Papillary muscles of the right ventricleare expressed slightly, with the exception of the parietal muscles.

Diverse Locations and a Long History: Historical Context for Urban Leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Early Anthropocene From Seoul, Korea

While the urban landscapes of the early Anthropocene may appear hostile to large carnivores, humans and leopards (Panthera pardus) are known to co-inhabit major urban centres like Mumbai (India), Nairobi (Kenya) and Johannesburg (South Africa). We provide evidence that the presence of leopards in urban landscapes is not, however, a new phenomenon and has occurred repeatedly over the early history of the Anthropocene. Using records of Amur leopards (P. p. orientalis) in Seoul, Korea, at the end of the 19th century, a capital city and major urban centre with a high human population density, we explore socio-cultural, political and ecological factors that may have facilitated human-leopard co-occurrence in an urban landscape and the factors that eventually led to the leopards' extirpation. We suggest that, in the absence of unsustainable levels of persecution by humans, leopards are able to persist in urban landscapes which contain small patches of dense vegetation and have sufficient alternative food supplies. In light of the continued expansion of urban landscapes in the 21st century and increasing conservation focus on the presence of large carnivore populations there, this paper provides historical context to human co-existence with leopards in urban landscapes during the Anthropocene–and what we can learn from it for the future.

The development status and evaluation of Hunchun wild Amur tiger reserve and Sino-Russian ecological corridor construction

Jilin Hunchun Wild Amur Tiger Park National Nature Reserve is China's first national-level tiger and leopard nature reserve with the highest number and density of wild Amur tigers and leopards in China. The reserve had become a part of ecological corridor for tigers to freely migrate between China and Russia. China provided a significant protection zone to address the threat of small population of Amur tiger. The solution published in China and effectiveness of the protection zone are discussed in this paper. Even more solutions are planned to be achieved through cooperation between China and Russia.

Evaluation of threats faced by the Amur leopards in their native habitat and identification of suitable sites for re-introduction into the wild using GIS

Evaluation of threats faced by the Amur leopards in their native habitat and identification of suitable sites for re-introduction into the wild using GIS

Presence of Broad-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae in Zoo Mammals.

Broad-spectrum beta-lactamase (BSBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae impose public health threats. With increased popularity of zoos, exotic animals are brought in close proximity of humans, making them important BSBL reservoirs. However, not much is known on the presence of BSBLs in zoos in Western Europe. Fecal carriage of BSBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae was investigated in 38 zoo mammals from two Belgian zoos. Presence of bla-genes was investigated using PCR, followed by whole-genome sequencing and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to cluster acquired resistance encoding genes and clonality of BSBL-producing isolates. Thirty-five putatively ceftiofur-resistant isolates were obtained from 52.6% of the zoo mammals. Most isolates were identified as E. coli (25/35), of which 64.0% showed multidrug resistance (MDR). Most frequently detected bla-genes were CTX-M-1 (17/25) and TEM-1 (4/25). Phylogenetic trees confirmed clustering of almost all E. coli isolates obtained from the same animal species. Clustering of five isolates from an Amur tiger, an Amur leopard, and a spectacled bear was observed in Zoo 1, as well as for five isolates from a spotted hyena and an African lion in Zoo 2. This might indicate clonal expansion of an E. coli strain in both zoos. In conclusion, MDR BSBL-producing bacteria were shown to be present in the fecal microbiota of zoo mammals in two zoos in Belgium. Further research is necessary to investigate if these bacteria pose zoonotic and health risks.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Animals in Zoos: A Longitudinal Multi-Species Analysis

Prolonged and repetitive COVID-19 facility closures have led to an abrupt cessation of visitors within UK and Irish zoos for variable periods since March 2020. This study sought to increase understanding of the impact of closures and reopenings on animal behaviour, thereby broadening understanding of whether zoo animals habituate to visitors. Data were collected from June to August 2020 at two UK facilities on eight species (n = 1 Chinese goral, n = 2 Grevy’s zebra, n = 11 swamp wallaby, n = 2 Rothschild’s giraffe, n = 2 nyala, n = 4 Chapman’s zebra, n = 2 snow leopard and n = 3 Amur leopard). Behaviour change and enclosure use was variable across species but most changes were non-significant. Grevy’s zebra engaged in more comfort behaviour during closure periods than post-closure (p &lt; 0.05). Chinese goral engaged in more environmental interactions during closure periods (p &lt; 0.05). Grevy’s zebra spent longer than would be expected by chance closest to public viewing areas during closure periods (p &lt; 0.008). These results suggest variable impacts of covid-19 closures and reopenings, mirroring human-animal interaction literature. We highlight the potential for some species to take longer to re-habituate to the presence of zoo visitors. As facility closures/reopenings are ongoing, we advocate a longitudinal monitoring approach. Furthermore, we recommend incorporation of physical and physiological measures of welfare where possible, alongside behavioural responses, to enable a holistic approach to answering fundamental questions on whether zoo animals habituate to visitors.

Cluster analysis in ethological research

Big cats are often on display in zoos around the world. The study of their time budget is the basis of ethological research in captivity. The paper considers the features of the behavior of the subfamily Pantherinae, the daily activity of animals in the summer, methods of keeping, the exposition of enclosures, and relationships with keepers. The studies were conducted in the summer of 2012 and 2013 at the Barnaul Zoo. The total observation time for the animals was 120 hours. The behavior of the African lion (Panthera leo leo – male), the Ussuri tiger (Panthera tigris altaica – female), and the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis – male) has been studied. In the course of the work, the compilation of ethograms, continuous recording, and free observations were used. The clustering method was applied to analyze the patterns of behavior of animals in captivity. Cluster analysis breaks down the behavior of captivities animals into two large blocks. Locomotion in animals should be considered as a separate block. The animal’s growth and development period require a high proportion of physical activity, which is noticeable when observing the Amur tiger. Locomotion occupied 32.8% of the total time budget of this animal. Large cats have never been in a shelter (in wooden structures of the appropriate size). They used the roof of the houses only as a place for rest and observation. The proportion of marking, hunting, eating, exploratory behavior, grooming, and such forms of behavior as freezing, static position, orienting reaction did not differ significantly. Play behavior with elements of hunting and manipulative activity took 5.5% of the Amur tiger’s time budget for the period under review. We associate this primarily with the age of the given animal. Play behavior was observed two times less often in the Far Eastern leopard (2.9%) and African lion (2.6%)..

Wavelet methods reveal big cat activity patterns and synchrony of activity with preys.

Appropriate temporal and spatial scales are important prerequisites for obtaining reliable results in studies of wildlife activity patterns and interspecific interactions. The spread of camera-trap technology has increased interest in and feasibility of studying the activity patterns and interspecific interactions of wildlife. However, such studies are often conducted at arbitrary spatial and temporal scales, and the methods used impose scale on the study rather than determining how activity and species interactions change with spatial scale. In this study, we used a wavelet-based approach to determine the temporal and spatial scales for activity patterns and interspecific interactions on Amur leopard and their ungulate prey species that were recorded using camera traps in the main Amur leopard occurrence region in northeast China. Wavelets identified that Amur leopards were more active in spring and fall than summer, and fluctuated with periodicities of 9 and 17 days, respectively. Synchronous relationships between leopards and their prey commonly occurred in spring and fall, with a periodicity of about 20 days, indicating the appropriate seasons and temporal scales for interspecific interaction research. The influence of human activities on the activity patterns of Amur leopard or prey species often occurred over longer time periods (60-64 days). Two-dimensional wavelet analyses showed that interactions between leopard and prey were more significant at spatial scales of 1 km2 . Overall, our study provides a feasible approach to studying the temporal and spatial scales for wildlife activity patterns and interspecific interaction research using camera trap data.

High genetic diversity and low differentiation reflect the ecological versatility of the African leopard

Large carnivores are generally sensitive to ecosystem changes because their specialized diet and position at the top of the trophic pyramid is associated with small population sizes. Accordingly, low genetic diversity at the whole-genome level has been reported for all big cat species, including the widely distributed leopard. However, all previous whole-genome analyses of leopards are based on the Far Eastern Amur leopards that live at the extremity of the species' distribution and therefore are not necessarily representative of the whole species. We sequenced 53 whole genomes of African leopards. Strikingly, we found that the genomic diversity in the African leopard is 2- to 5-fold higher than in other big cats, including the Amur leopard, likely because of an exceptionally high effective population size maintained by the African leopard throughout the Pleistocene. Furthermore, we detected ongoing gene flow and very low population differentiation within African leopards compared with those of other big cats. We corroborated this by showing a complete absence of an otherwise ubiquitous equatorial forest barrier to gene flow. This sets the leopard apart from most other widely distributed large African mammals, including lions. These results revise our understanding of trophic sensitivity and highlight the remarkable resilience of the African leopard, likely because of its extraordinary habitat versatility and broad dietary niche.