Leopard subspecies in US

elefante

elefante

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
According to the Feline TAG, the only leopard subspecies mentioned in North America is the Amur leopard. Are other subspecies present in North America? Are all other subspecies being phased out of North America due to the Amur leopard being critically endangered or is this because this subspecies is adapted to colder climates?
 
The AZA several years ago decided to focus on amur leopards due to their endangered status and the limited cage space within the AZA. Almost every single AZA accredited zoo with leopards now has amur. There are of course a lot of zoos and facilities outside the AZA, but most of these have generic leopards. There may be a few pure blooded african leopards, but very few (Baltimore used to have a pair).

The one facility that is working hard to breed others is the EFBC Feline Conservation Center in California (which is ZAA accredited but not AZA, although they do work with the Felid TAG and many AZA SSP programs). They do have many amur leopards, probably the best breeding group in the USA. But they also have pure north china leopards and pure persian leopards. They really want to keep these breeding programs going and I think are frustrated at the lack of cooperation from other zoos.

A couple weeks ago we had a speaker at our zoo from Wildlife SOS in India, which has bear rescue centers but also recently opened a leopard rescue center. I asked if they had sent any of their non-releasable bears or leopards to European or American zoos and the answer was no, but they would certainly be willing to do so. If someone in the US wanted to start an indian leopard breeding program, they could source some from this group.
 
I know Bronx Zoo used to have Indian leopards
I know a few US zoos like Lowry Park Zoo had Persian leopards (you dont see as many of those anymore)
A LOT of American zoos have Amur leopard including the Living desert which is in the middle of the desert and not there natural habitat
I know Maryland Zoo has African leopard, but I dont know if they still have them
Phoenix Zoo used to have and breed Indochinese leopards
You know, some leopard subspecies that I would really love to see in the United States are Javan, Sri Lankan, and Arabian but I dont know if that will ever happen, @Arizona docent, have those subspecies ever been in the US ?
 
I know it says in the US, but considering that it is in the General Zoo Discussion, i tought i should add this:
- Amur Leopard (59 Collections in Europe). Some could be sent to the US. but it seems they are not needed.
- Cape Leopard (2 Collections in Europe). Don´t think they could be sent to the US.
- Caucasus Leopard (1 Collection in Europe).
- Indian Leopard (2 Collections in Europe). Don´t think they could be sent to the US.
- Indo-Chinese Leopard (2 Collections in Europe). Don´t think they could be sent to the US.
- Javan Leopard (3 Collections in Europe). Don´t think they could be sent to the US.
- North Chinese Leopard (32 Collections in Europe). Some could be sent to the US.
- North Persian Leopard (56 Collections in Europe). Some could be sent to the US.
- Sri Lankan Leopard (22 Collections in Europe). Some could be sent to the US.
- Central African Leopard (2 Collections in Europe). Don´t think they could be sent to the US.
- Generic/African Leopard (72 Collections in Europe)
- Arabian Leopard (3 Collections in their Native Range). Don´t think they could be sent to the US.
 
This topic has come up before, so I have the information at hand ;) with two caveats - these are ISIS collections only, and the information is accurate up to February 2012 when ISIS closed to public access.

20 collections in the USA hold non-subspecific Leopards (Panthera pardus) with a total of 19.16.2 individuals held.

Kansas City Zoo, Missouri, holds 1.0 hybrid Leopard of unstated descent.

No collections outside of Asia hold Indochinese Leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri)

No collections in the USA hold Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca)

3 collections in the USA hold North Chinese Leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis), these being: Rare Feline Breeding Compound, Florida, with 1.3 individuals held, Exotic Feline Breeding Compound, California, with 3.4 individuals held, and San Diego Zoo, California, with 1.0 individuals held.

No collections in the USA hold Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)

No collections outside of Africa hold West African Leopard (Panthera pardus leopardus)

2 collections in the USA hold Cape Leopard (Panthera pardus melanotica), these being: Memphis Zoological Garden & Aquarium, Tennessee, with 0.1 individuals held, and Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Ohio, with 0.1 individuals held.

No collections in the USA hold Javan Leopard (Panthera pardus melas)

No collections outside the Middle East hold Arabian Leopard (Panthera pardus nimr)

36 collections in the USA hold Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) with a total of 33.42 individuals held.

2 collections in the USA hold African Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus), these being: Zoo of Acadiana, Louisiana, with 0.1 individuals held, and Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Maryland, with 1.1 individuals held.

2 collections in the USA hold Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor), these being: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Ohio, with 1.0 individuals held, and Exotic Feline Breeding Compound, California, with 2.1 individuals held.

No collections outside Europe hold Central African Leopard (Panthera pardus shortridgei)
 
There was an article in the last journal of the Feline Conservation Federation from an individual asking people to start an indian leopard program in the United States. I have no idea if that person intended on trying to start or if they were just saying oh it would be nice if someone did this. (For those who do not know, the Feline Conservation Federation is a consortium of US wild cat breeders and owners, mostly outside the AZA).

As someone who lives in the desert, I would love to see arabian leopards sent here as a backup population. The Living Desert, Phoenix Zoo, Wildlife World Zoo, Reid Park Zoo are all in the ideal climate. Several Texas zoos could work as well.

Another thing I would love to see is a pure blooded malaysian leopard program in the United States. As some of you know, leopards in the Malay Peninsula are virtually one hundred percent black (or melanistic). The black leopards currently in the United States are all generic hybrids.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Another thing I would love to see is a pure blooded malaysian leopard program in the United States. As some of you know, leopards in the Malay Peninsula are virtually one hundred percent black (or melanistic). The black leopards currently in the United States are all generic hybrids.
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That's something I did not know. Thanks for the info, AZ!

TeaLovingDave said:
2 collections in the USA hold Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor), these being: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Ohio, with 1.0 individuals held, and Exotic Feline Breeding Compound, California, with 2.1 individuals held.
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Since you can't have 2 point 1 individuals, can somebody please clue me on the actual meaning? I assume it has something to do with sex or offspring?
 
Columbus Zoo publicly lists theirs as African Leopard. Not sure if the Cape one passed away and they got an African, or if they're mislabeling it. Maryland Zoo publicly lists theirs as just leopard, not african leopard.
 
grandelover1 said:
No. They hold an Amur Leopard. I may be mistaken but I think I heard they’re bringing in another.
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If Cleveland gets a second Amur leopard, I expect he will never be in with the second for breeding. While Edgar was at Erie, he killed his previous mate.

Side Note: Within a week we will know if the attempt to AI Erie’s Amur leopards worked when Nia has her ultrasound. If this works, it will be the first one.
 
TinoPup said:
Columbus Zoo publicly lists theirs as African Leopard. Not sure if the Cape one passed away and they got an African, or if they're mislabeling it. Maryland Zoo publicly lists theirs as just leopard, not african leopard.
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Columbus has always listed the leopards held in the African forest section as African leopards, even when they definitely held the sisters who were identified as P.p. melanotica. I believe both of those older leopards have died (but I'm not certain - the Zoo had only one for some time and I've only seen the two younger ones out more recently). I'm not sure that the Zoo has ever said anything about the new leopards other than identifying them as "African" leopards.
 
jibster said:
Columbus has always listed the leopards held in the African forest section as African leopards, even when they definitely held the sisters who were identified as P.p. melanotica. I believe both of those older leopards have died (but I'm not certain - the Zoo had only one for some time and I've only seen the two younger ones out more recently). I'm not sure that the Zoo has ever said anything about the new leopards other than identifying them as "African" leopards.
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Nothing mislabeled, as often all leopards from Africa are lumped into one subspecies.
 
lintworm said:
Nothing mislabeled, as often all leopards from Africa are lumped into one subspecies.
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I didn't mean to suggest that Columbus had mislabeled the leopards, as I have usually seen all African leopards treated as a single subspecies. I merely meant to say that when Columbus reported the leopards to ISIS as P. p. melanotica, they were only called African leopards (I never saw them referred to as Cape leopards), so that I would imagine the current leopards would probably still be identified as African regardless of whether they are identified as belonging to P. p. pardus or the often-unaccepted P. p. melanotica.
 
The melanotica animals are gone from Columbus now unfortunately. They have been replaced with a pair of Leopards which are just called "African" but I have no idea what they actually are. I would absolutely love to see a pure African Leopard somewhere but are there really any in the US?

Also the EFBC is down to a single Persian Leopard, making it the last in the US.

~Thylo
 
A roadside facility in FL claims that their leopards are Indian leopards. They received a breeding pair from a closed facility in 2009 and had three cubs in 2010 all of which remain on the facility. The facility hasn't bred the leopards and other big cats since then.
 
lintworm said:
Nothing mislabeled, as often all leopards from Africa are lumped into one subspecies.
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Based on rather obscure research with a very limited sample group, alas often quoted undeservedly so. I personally believe it should be discounted and no longer cited as a valid reference source.
 
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