While big cats have been immortalised in haute joaillerie form by such renowned brands as Cartier and Chanel, the same cannot be said about their real-life counterparts. In fact, some species of these furry felines have declined to such an extent that without drastic measures, they’ll soon disappear off the face of our planet. From the few to the almost-non-existant, here are five of the most endangered big cat species in the world.
5. Asiatic Lion – Only 400 in existence
Once a common sighting across wide swathes of the Indian subcontinent, Middle East and the Mediterranean, incessant overhunting nearly brought these majestic beasts to the brink of extinction. By 1907, just 13 members of this endangered big cat species were to be found. Across intervening decades and thanks to a mammoth conservation and breeding effort, that number has been boosted to a still-depleted 400, all of them found within the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat, India.
4. Iberian Lynx – Less than 200
Native to the Iberian Peninsula in Spain, Portugal and southern France, consistent habitat loss and human-caused diseases wiped out the majority of these big cats from a population of 4,000 half a century ago to an in-the-wild population of just over 100 today, with a few dozen more raised in captivity. There’s hope on the horizon, though, as eggs and biological materials were harvested from two captive females in Berlin in 2013 via pioneering process, all in the hopes of reviving its decimated demographics.
3. Asiatic Cheetah – Only about 100
A high infant mortality rate and persistent overhunting have seen the once-abundant Asiatic Cheetah – native to the Middle East and Central Asia – all but wiped out. Now, the remaining 100 or so members of this endangered big cat species can be found in Iran where they still face the threat of poaching, loss of prey and habitat destruction.
2. Amur Leopard – Less than 100
With only 50 or so Amur Leopards recorded in Russia and a further 10 in China, there’s no doubt that the Amur Leopard is one of the most endangered big cat species in the world. Designated a subspecies only recently in 2003, its lack of recognition further exacerbated its demise. Thankfully, however, efforts by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Russia has seen its population double in the last decade.
1. South China Tiger – Less than 50, possibly extinct in the wild
As recently as the ’50s, the South China Tiger population was estimated to be around 4,000. But everything turned for the worse when the Communist government declared it an ‘enemy of the people’ in 1959. There have been no confirmed sightings in the wild for over four decades now, with the sole survivors seemingly all in captivity.