I had the pleasure of meeting, Oskar, the newest addition to the Asian Leopard exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. Oskar is an Amur leopard, the rarest of the big cats, currently found only in the Russian Province of Primorsky Krai, and a few remaining in China. His species is critically endangered, with only about 80 individuals left in the wild, according to the most optimistic recent studies. I feel very fortunate just to see this beautiful cat, and I'm hopeful that Amur leopards are making a comeback from the brink of extinction through the conservation efforts of our San Diego Zoo and others around the world.

Oskar the male Amur Leopard