A view of this beautiful girl among the trees inspires my imagination to hopeful thoughts of her species multiplying once again into a healthy population. Through conservation efforts around the world, including breeding programs involving our own San Diego Zoo, the Amur leopard’s numbers have begun to increase. Though they are still critically endangered, and there's a long way to go, I hope a view like this will someday be a common scene; Amur leopards like Satka living in a protected nature preserve, growing and thriving as a necessary part of our ecosystem once again, their beauty appreciated for generations to come.

Satka the female Amur Leopard