Amur tigers and leopards returning to China: direct evidence and a landscape conservation plan

摘要

Context The Amur tiger and leopard, once roaming over the Eurasian continent, are now endangered and confined to the Sikhote-Alin Mountains, Russia-a landscape that has been increasingly fragmented due to human activities. The ultimate fate of these big cats depends on whether they can resettle in their previous main historical range in NE China. Recent sightings of these animals along the China-Russia border have aroused new hope, but direct evidence is lacking.