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Saturday, 22 January, 2005, 13:04 GMT

Rare leopard 'faces extinction'

By Richard Black
BBC environment correspondent

Amur leopard in the wild The world's rarest cat, the Amur leopard, is facing extinction in the wild, conservationists have warned.

They have blamed a recent decision by the Russian government to approve an oil pipeline through the leopards' only habitat, on the harsh eastern coast.

It is estimated that only about 30 of the animals survive in the wild.

Human settlements and forest fires have already pushed the Amur leopard to the brink of extinction - there are more in captivity than there are in the wild.

At the end of December, Russia approved a plan for a pipeline bringing oil from Siberia to a new terminal on the coast, opening up export routes to east Asia.

The pipeline will pass through the Amur leopards' only remaining range - and conservationists working with the Zoological Society of London say it could be the last straw.

They are appealing to the Russian government to re-route the pipeline and give the world's rarest cat one more life.



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Related to this story:
Russia approves Pacific pipeline (31 Dec 04 |  Business )
Leopard dies in escape bid (23 Sep 03 |  Hampshire/Dorset )
Struggle to save the Siberian tiger (13 Sep 02 |  Europe )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Zoological Society of London
BBC - Wildfacts - Leopards
ARKive - Amur Leopard
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