Population of Amur tigers, Far Eastern leopards growing in Russia - natural resources minister

MOSCOW. Oct 19 (Interfax) - The population of Amur tigers has increased by 40%, and the number of Far Eastern leopards has grown by 60% in the past few years, Russian Natural Resources and Ecology Minister Alexander Kozlov said.

"Over the past few years, it has become possible to increase the population of Amur tiger by 40%, to double the number of free-roaming wisents and to raise the population of Far Eastern leopards by 60%," Kozlov said at a meeting of the State Duma's Committee on the Budget and Taxes.

Seven strategies have been approved to date as part of programs for the conservation of rare and endangered animals, Kozlov said. The latest ones are programs for conserving polar bears and Przewalski's wild horses.

The Amur tiger is the largest tiger subspecies on the planet. It is included in the Russian and world lists of endangered species. In the wild, Amur tigers live mainly in the Primorye and Khabarovsk Territories, the Amur region, and the Jewish Autonomous Region. A small number of them can be found in China and North Korea. The latest estimates put Russia's Amur tiger population at 750 animals.

The Far Eastern leopard is the world's rarest big cat. It is also included in the list of endangered species. Far Eastern leopards live in the southwest of Russia's Primorye Territory and in a small area in China near the border with Russia. In Russia, the largest number of Far Eastern leopards - over 120 adult animals - live in the Land of the Leopard National Park.