Quick answer
The species (Panthera pardus) is IUCN Vulnerable (2023). Amur, Arabian and Indochinese subspecies are Critically Endangered. Javan and Persian leopards are Endangered. A Kruger postcard is not Primorye. Figures checked 13 August 2026.
Are leopards Endangered or just Vulnerable?
The species is Vulnerable. Several subspecies are far worse: Amur, Arabian and Indochinese are Critically Endangered; Javan and Persian (Anatolian) are Endangered; Indian leopards are Near Threatened. “Listed in our guides as Vulnerable” without that split was the thin version of this page.
What is driving the decline?
Habitat loss, prey depletion, the skin and bone trade, and conflict killing. Ranking those threats changes by country. A West African forest fragment is not a South African reserve. Adaptability has not cancelled persecution.
Is a wide range an all-clear?
No. Leopards have vanished from a large share of historic range — widely cited figures put African loss around two-thirds. Amur numbers recovered from a few dozen to on the order of 100–130 in recent counts; that is still Critically Endangered, not a species-wide census.
What actually helps?
Prey, cover, and less conflict. WARN’s habitat appeal funds partner habitat work — not a tiger appeal and not an Amur field camp.
Does a broad diet save them?
It helps them persist near people longer than lions sometimes do. It does not stop a snare or an empty ungulate guild. Generalist is a foraging style, not a recovery plan.
Do trees protect them from trade?
Caching prey out of lions’ reach is real behaviour. It is not anti-poaching. Skins and bones still move. A tree is not a corridor.
Sources
Leopard FAQs
Are leopards endangered?
The species (Panthera pardus) is IUCN Vulnerable (2023 assessment), not a single Endangered label. Amur, Arabian and Indochinese subspecies are Critically Endangered. Javan and Persian leopards are Endangered. A Kruger postcard is not the Russian Far East. Figures checked 13 August 2026.
How many leopards are left?
There is no honest weekly global headcount. The species still occupies a huge African and Asian map, with large losses of historic range — on the order of two-thirds in Africa in widely cited assessments. Always name the subspecies. Amur leopards number on the order of 100–130 in recent camera-trap totals, not “a few dozen.”
Are leopards the same as snow leopards?
No. Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) live in high Asia. Clouded leopards are Neofelis. Jaguars are South American. Cheetahs are a different genus. Mixing them produces the false story that a Serengeti cat protects Primorye. Do not map leopards to a tiger appeal.
What actually helps leopards?
Keep prey and cover, cut the skin and bone trade, and reduce conflict killing. World Animal Rescue Network funds habitat-protection partners. WARN does not run Amur leopard camps in the Russian Far East.
Who this page is for.This page explains IUCN-style status. Skip it if you need an emergency wildlife-rescue number.