The Amur leopard is critically endangered. Less than 30 of these big cats live in the wild within a 1,200 square mile area of Korea, China and Russia. Fortunately, ten times as many live in zoos such as this one in New Orleans. The exquisite animal has thick fur covered with rosettes and black rings. They can run faster than 35 m.p.h. and leap up to 20 feet. The Audubon Zoo opened in 1914 and now has over 2,000 animals on about 58 acres. It is named after John James Audubon. He illustrated “The Birds of America” in 1839.
