Quad-Cities zoo adds rare, female Amur leopard

A Quad-Cities zoo has acquired a rare, female Amur leopard so that it can mate with the facility’s male leopard.

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Niabi Zoo, located in Coal Valley, Illinois, announced the addition on Wednesday, the Dispatch-Argus reported.

The Amur leopard is listed as a critically endangered species by the World Wildlife Federation, with fewer than 100 left in the world. The big cats are native to southeast Russia and northern China.

The feline can run at speeds of up to 37 mph and has been reported to leap more than 19 feet horizontally and up to 10 feet vertically, according to the WWF.

During a Rock Island County Forest Preserve Commission meeting on Tuesday night, Niabi Zoo Director Lee Jackson told commissioners the female Amur leopard arrived June 2 from Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens in Thrigby, England. The female is in quarantine for another two weeks, the Dispatch-Argus reported. The female, named Iona, will be slowly introduced to the male, named Jihn, before it goes on public display in about four to six weeks, the newspaper reported.

“We were really excited to receive this genetically important animal from the (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) Amur Leopard Species Survival Program,” Jackson told commissioners. “It’s really important to note here that even though we are not a member of the AZA, this animal was imported from Europe to come to Niabi to mate with our male.

>> Quad-Cities zoo welcomes first rhino

“We are playing an important role in the species survival plan for this animal, and we hope to increase their numbers in North America.”

Last month, the zoo welcomed Keto, a male southern white rhino, the Quad-Cities Times reported. It is the first rhino in the history of the zoo, officials said.

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