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Kitan, the longed-for Amur leopard: Prevents negative documentary times?
Leipzig's zoo caused a stir around the Amur leopard Kitan, who, despite initial doubts, is now supposed to provide offspring.
Kitan, the longed-for Amur leopard: Prevents negative documentary times?
A newly minted Amur leopard is making headlines at Leipzig Zoo. Kitan, that's the name of the animal, came from Rotterdam with high hopes and was supposed to be a new breeding candidate to produce offspring with the leopard Mia. While Kitan's expectations were high, even the nurses had doubts about his abilities. Especially in the documentary soap “Elephant, Tiger and Co.” Nurse Lasse Nieberding called him a “cuddler”, which was felt to be unfair. The MDR has now admitted that these depictions did Kitan injustice and described them as “fake news” – an official apology followed, as [thueringen24.de](https://www.thueringen24.de/umland/article300505587/zoo-leipzig-mdr-ent Schuldung-zurueck-gehen.html) reports.
The young leopard was raised in Leipzig on the recommendation of the European Endangered Species Program after a 19-year-old leopard, Xembalo, was removed from breeding. It has been three years since Manju, the last leopard cub, was born at the zoo. However, Kitan seemed to be just waiting for the perfect moment to mate with Mia. Given the tense situation, Kitan could perhaps soon take the first step towards breeding.
Kitan and his new challenges
The patience of the leopard Kitan could now finally be rewarded. With the MDR's apology, the starting position for the young breeding candidate has improved significantly. Christian Speyer, spokesman for MDR, has expressed that the negative comments about Kitan were unfounded. He now enjoys the trust that was originally doubtfully withdrawn from him.
Kitan is particularly interesting not only as an Amur leopard, but also as part of a larger conservation project. The breeding book, which has been kept by Peter Müller since 1973, represents the basis for the care and conservation of tiger species and has proven to be promising. Leipzig Zoo is one of the most successful breeders of Amur tigers in the world and has given birth to over 370 Amur leopards since 1957 alone. Such measures are crucial because Amur tigers are among the largest cats on earth and are highly threatened in the wild - only around 360 specimens still live in the taiga.
- Gesamtlänge über 3 Meter
- Gewicht bis zu 300 Kilogramm
- Erfahrene Schwimmer mit Sprungfähigkeiten von bis zu 10 Metern
- Kälteunempfindlich und Einzelgänger
The promotion and protection of these majestic animals requires international cooperation. Zoos keep breeding books not only for tiger species, but also for other endangered animals. The threat from human activities and progressive habitat destruction is a serious problem that is being countered by globally coordinated protection and breeding programs, as also explained on goethe.de.
A look into the future
In view of the current challenges, there are exciting plans: from 2025, Amur tigers are to be released into the wild in the former range of the Caspian tiger in Central Asia. The Caspian tiger was mistakenly thought to be extinct, with some specimens possibly surviving into the 1990s. This opens up new perspectives for the conservation of tiger species and shows how important sponsorships and financial support are for these projects.
It remains to be hoped that Kitan can successfully fulfill his role as a breeding candidate in the coming months. Spectators in Leipzig can look forward to seeing what new developments will take place at the zoo.