Wild Amur leopard spotted in China's Heilongjiang

HARBIN -- A forestry worker has spotted the critically endangered Amur leopard twice in a month in a forest area in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, according to the China Longjiang Forest Industry Group Co Ltd.

A wild Amur leopard was captured by Song Jinlong with his phone on June 19 when he was repairing a road in the forest area. Song found an Amur leopard near the same place on June 22, but he was not sure if it was the same big cat.

Wildlife paw prints were also found by local animal protection authorities. Experts from Northeast Forestry University concluded that the wildlife Song had spotted was an Amur leopard.

The Amur or Far Eastern leopards are one of the most endangered felines in the world and have been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are less than 100 Amur leopards living in the wild, mostly in Russia's Far East and northeast China.

Wild Amur leopards and Siberian tigers have been spotted in the forest area several times since 2014. The evidence has indicated that local ecology has improved with strengthened protection efforts, according to experts.

Local animal protection personnel have set up two infrared cameras in the region where the Amur leopard was spotted.