Signs of wild Amur leopards reported in Jilin

CHANGCHUN - Authorities in Northeast China's Jilin province have found signs of a critically endangered leopard subspecies.

A total of 13 goats, raised by local farmers in a national nature reserve in Hunchun, have been mauled to death recently, and investigations showed that the culprit was one or several wild Amur leopards, according to the local forestry bureau.

Two dead goats have been reported in May, both in the same area. Judging from the scratches and the remaining corpse, experts concluded that they were killed by the rare species of leopard.

Forestry authorities have advised locals to relocate their livestock to other areas.

Amur leopards, also known as the Far Eastern leopard, are one of the most endangered feline species in the world, and have been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is believed that there are about 50 Amur leopards living in the wild, mostly in the China-Russia border areas.