ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - D - THE LEOPARD (Panthera pardus)

[Sully]

Rare Javan leopards captured in stunning camera-trap photos
May 22, 2013 By David Strege
 

*This image is copyright of its original author

   
Thirty cameras were placed throughout the Gunung Halimun Salak National Park in West Java, Indonesia, to capture wildlife scenes in the rainforest. The camera traps sat for one month before researcher Age Kridalaksana of the Center for International Forestry Research finally collected them.
What he discovered when retrieving the images were stunning photos of the rare and critically endangered Javan leopards. One leopard acted as if it knew right where to lie down and get photographed. Kridalaksana shared the vivid and brilliant photos in this Vimeo video. Enjoy:

The photos in the video show the leopard resting, grooming, yawning, and rolling around. Another camera caught a leopard just passing by.
According to Wired Science, Kridalaksana captured thousands of images of deer, civets, and birds, along with the rare photos of two spotted leopards and one black leopard.
“The Javan leopard population is believed to comprise fewer than 250 adults, with deforestation, human conflicts, and a declining prey base among major threats to the population,” wrote Nadia Drake of Wired Science. “Since leopards normally have a territory spanning several square miles, seeing three in one area is unusual.”
Javan leopards have been classified as critically endangered since 2008 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are confined to the island of Java, the world’s 13th largest island in the world, located in Indonesia.
No doubt their beauty is striking.
Photo is a screen grab from the video

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