Endangered Chinese Amur Leopard Killed by Baekdusan Tiger

Both Have Strong Territorial Awareness but Coexist in the Same Space

In the northeastern region of China, a critically endangered wild Northeast leopard was found dead, having been bitten by a Baekdu Mountain tiger (known in China as the "Northeast tiger"). This tragedy occurred about a month after the Baekdu Mountain tiger and the Northeast leopard were captured on camera in a village in Bansijin, Hunchun City, at one-week intervals last month.

According to local media reports such as Sosang Sinbo on the 25th, on the 23rd, a netizen posted a video showing an adult leopard lying dead in the snowy outdoors of Hunchun, Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, bleeding as if bitten by a wild animal. The netizen stated, "This leopard had appeared not far from where it was found dead three days ago," and added, "It seems to have been attacked by a wild animal larger and fiercer than itself."

Appearance of the Northeast leopard before being killed by a Baekdusan tiger [Image source=Captured from Baidu, Yonhap News]

Local wildlife protection authorities who conducted an on-site investigation confirmed that the 50 kg leopard was killed by a wild Baekdu Mountain tiger. A local resident said, "Two leopards have been living in this area, each securing their own territory tens of kilometers apart," adding, "Now only one remains."

Earlier, in mid-last month, an unusual event occurred in a village in Bansijin, Hunchun City, where a Baekdu Mountain tiger and a Northeast leopard were consecutively captured. A tiger was recorded on closed-circuit television (CCTV), and a week later, a Northeast leopard was caught on CCTV at the same location. Typically, wild leopards and tigers are both highly territorial animals, and it is known that they rarely inhabit the same space.

At the time, wildlife experts commented, "Wild tigers and leopards are strongly territorial, so it is extremely rare for them to appear in the same place," and interpreted this as "an effect of improved ecological conditions leading to better habitats and survival spaces." They explained that as prey became more abundant, tigers and leopards tolerated each other's territorial intrusions. However, despite this interpretation, the coexistence of the tiger and leopard ultimately resulted in the leopard's death.

Chinese netizens who learned of the wild leopard's death reacted by saying, "There is only one king of animals under the sky," and "The leopard's intrusion into the tiger's territory was reckless." Some netizens also argued, "This happened due to a shortage of food in winter and the shrinking habitats of wild animals caused by human development," urging that "wildlife protection measures must be strengthened."

The Northeast leopard, along with the Baekdu Mountain tiger, is designated as a critically endangered species and a national first-class protected animal in China. The northeastern regions of China, including Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, bordering North Korea and Russia, serve as collective habitats for large wild animals such as tigers. This area features rugged mountain ranges and large rivers suitable for large animals to live.

In October 2021, China designated 14,100 square kilometers in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces as the Baekdu Mountain Tiger and Leopard National Park for protection, an area approximately 23 times the size of Seoul. It is currently known that about 60 Baekdu Mountain tigers and leopards each inhabit this region, and their populations continue to increase.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.