Kitan the Amur leopard: From doubt to breeding star at Leipzig Zoo!

Kitan the Amur leopard: From doubt to breeding star at Leipzig Zoo!

Leipzig Zoo is the focus of interest, especially with the arrival of the Amur leopard Kitan, who came to Leipzig from the Rotterdam Zoo with great expectations. His goal was to raise offspring together with the leopard Mia. But the path there was anything but straight. At first, even the carers had doubts about Kitan's reproductive abilities, which was confirmed by negative comments in the documentary soap "Elephant, Tiger and Co." was reinforced. Kitan was brought to Leipzig at the end of last year on the recommendation of the European Endangered Species Program after the 19-year-old leopard Xembalo was removed from breeding.

His arrival at Leipzig Zoo marked a new glimmer of hope after the last offspring in the leopard enclosure was born three years ago, the cat Manju, who now lives at Copenhagen Zoo. But Kitan initially showed no interest in Mia, causing additional concern among the nurses, which ultimately led to a high-profile apology.

Apologies and new perspectives

In a broadcast, nurse Lasse Nieberding apologized for his negative comments about Kitan. MDR spokesman Christian Speyer explained that the leopard was simply waiting for the right moment to cover Mia. This development led to an interesting twist in the narrative, with MDR issuing a rebuttal, referring to Kitan as “Mr Lover Lover”.

“Elephant, tiger and co.” is currently broadcast on Fridays at 7:50 p.m. on MDR TV. Viewers are excited to see how Kitan and Mia's story develops, especially with regard to the goals of leopard breeding at Leipzig Zoo.

Breeding and species protection at Leipzig Zoo

Leipzig Zoo is also actively committed to protecting leopards in their natural habitat through cooperation with the WWF. This includes membership in “Team Leopard Leipzig”, which offers numerous benefits for supporters. For example, members receive a 20 euro voucher at the zoo cash register after 12 months of membership, a certificate and information on WWF and Zoo Leipzig projects for leopard protection.

• Jährlicher Bericht über Projekte per E-Mail
• Eintrag des Namens auf einem Monitor im Zoo (auf Wunsch)
• Spendenbescheinigung zu Beginn jedes Jahres

Since 2017, Leipzig Zoo has also been keeping snow leopards in a natural environment, with the breeding pair Askar and Chandra contributing to the conservation of the species. The first cubs were born in the Himalayas in 2021. WWF works in Mongolia to combat trapping that injures snow leopards and offers training seminars for police officers to promote wildlife conservation.

In summary, Leipzig Zoo not only shows its commitment to leopard species, but also to a responsible and sustainable breeding policy. Kitan and Mia embody the current hope for future offspring as part of comprehensive species protection and breeding programs.