The North China leopard, one of the world's nine leopard subspecies, has been frequently spotted in north China's Shanxi Province over the recent years, further confirming the increasing population and expanded activity range of this rare species.
In China, the North Chinese leopard is more often known as a "golden coin leopard" which comes from its black and golden spotted patterns that are similar to copper coins circulated in ancient China.
As a large predator, the North China leopard historically had a wide distribution in provinces such as Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan. However, with frequent human activities, the habitat of the North China leopard has gradually fragmented, with only a few isolated populations remaining in mountain ranges such as the Taihang Mountains, the Lyuliang Mountains, and the Ziwuling Mountains.
Over the recent years, as the country's biodiversity conservation efforts continued to produce notable results, the wild population of the North China leopard has been growing annually.
The demand for habitat area and competition for food have led these rare animals to expand beyond designated protected areas. Driven by the instinct to expand their territories, they are venturing out of the forests in droves.
"Each North China leopard has a fixed home range, with a male leopard typically occupying approximately 60 square kilometers and a female leopard about half that area. The patrol cycle of each leopard within its territory is about half a month. As the population of the North China leopards increases, more leopards will continuously spread from the protected areas to surrounding areas," said Liu Baozhuang, a doctor at Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
Recently, staff members analyzed new infrared camera footage captured from the peripheral areas of the Tieqiao Mountain Nature Reserve in Shanxi, revealing the movement of two male North China leopards. They traversed multiple "obstacles" from their core habitat to reach mountainous areas in eastern Heshun County, covering an estimated distance of over 100 kilometers.
"As leopards traverse east to west, they must cross highways and human settlements, including farmland and villages, which may pose risks to villagers. Our subsequent work will focus on identifying these critical ecological corridors," said Zhao Ying, a staff member of a private animal protection organization.
According to survey data from the Shanxi provincial forestry and grassland bureau, the rare North China leopards have been captured on camera in 24 out of 35 wildlife monitoring sites across the province in recent years, spanning protected areas and forest farms.
"Based on the body patterns of the North China leopards for individual identification, a total of 222 leopards have been identified in Shanxi, among which nine leopards are observed to move across protection zones. The movement of the North China leopards across different protected areas facilitates gene exchange, which helps maintain the health and stability of the North China leopard population," said Wang Yifei, director of the wildlife protection division of the Shanxi Forestry and Grassland Bureau.
Rare North China leopards frequently spotted in Shanxi Province
