TWO critically endangered leopards born at Colchester Zoo are set to mark their first birthday after helping scientists conserving their species in the wild.

Lena and Luka arrived at the Maldon Road attraction on September 9 last year.

The pair, born to parents Esra and Crispin, were the first Amur leopards to have ever been born at the zoo.

Gazette:

  • The leopard cubs. Picture: Libby Page

Amur leopards, which originate from the Russian far east and north-east China, are solitary animals and only pair up during mating season.

The big cats are one of the rarest in the world and are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red list.

A spokesman for the zoo said: "Successful breeding is fantastic news for not just Colchester Zoo but also the species, and it has been amazing to watch the twins grow under the watchful eye of first time mum, Esra.

"As well as sharing their progress over the past year with visitors, Colchester Zoo have also shared much of it with the WildCats Conservation Alliance who have been working in Primorsky, Russia, making photographic studies of these cats in the wild.

"By sending the study images of Lena and Luka at different stages of adolescence, Colchester Zoo have allowed them to make comparisons to the leopards they are capturing footage of in the wild.

"This helps the biologists working in the field to identify the ages of younger leopards they are seeing on their camera trap images."

Esther Conway from the WildCats Conservation Alliance, said: “The contribution that institutions like Colchester Zoo make to wildlife conservation is immensely important and often goes unrecognised.

"WildCats Conservation Alliance is delighted that Colchester Zoo is able to share these images to benefit the scientific research of this fragile Amur leopard population.”