Yorkshire zoo playing role in saving leopard

Yorkshire Wildlife Park, in Doncaster, opened its £300,000 Leopard Heights, the biggest leopard enclosure in the world, in March.

It is now home to three Amur leopards – Dimitri, Drake and Denzil – who have the run of the 6000 sq m enclosure.

Park director Cheryl Williams said: ”We are delighted to be playing such an important role in protecting the very future of the Amur leopard.”

“We are absolutely committed to conservation. We hope in time to breed Amur leopards at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Ultimately, we would like to be part of plans being drawn up to re-introduce captive bred Amur back into the wild.”

There are only 220 Amur leopards kept in captivity and fewer than 45 remaining in the wild, with the three in Doncaster part of an international breeding scheme.

Dr Andrew Marshall of York University, who carried out a recent study into the work of zoos and their role in conservation, said they were playing a role in stopping some species disappearing forever. He added: “Without the valuable conservation and breeding work of many of our member zoos and aquariums, many ‘at risk’ species such as these may be lost to extinction.”