Korea, Land of Leopards?

One would think that the tiger was the fiercest animal that inhabited the Korean peninsula. However, there was another species of big cats of ferocity similar to that of the tiger and that even outnumbered them: The Leopards

At the time 1392-1910, the population of leopards was so numerous that the royal families gave leopard skins to their servants.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the Korean leopard belongs to a species subordinate to that of leopards that lived in the Far East of Russia and in areas of northeastern China.

It is estimated that there are only about 50 leopards of this subspecies in the Korean peninsula, the Maritime Province of Russia and the Jilin Province in China.

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As you can see in this image, the Korean leopard is characterized by a darker coat and larger rings, and a long and abundant hair on the tail. The body has a length of 100 to 140 centimeters, with a tail measuring 80 to 90 centimeters long.

This animal was the most feared creature in ancient Korea, leading the natural food chain of Korea, and is currently on the verge of extinction.

According to statistics released by the governor general of the colonial era of Korea, during 23 years from 1919, 624 leopards were captured, a figure that six times the number of tigers trapped in the same period between 1919 and 1942.

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