JAVAN LEOPARD  
Panthera pardus melas

The Javan Leopard is a beautiful, small leopard which is highly endangered. Native to the same rainforest areas in Java, Indonesia, where once the Java Tiger and Balinese Tiger roamed before they became extinct, the Javan or Java Leopard represents a unique opportunity to study and research how this leopard subspecies actually evolved. A significant question is why this subspecies of leopard could become established on the island of Java, yet no traces have been found that the Javan Leopard ever set foot on either the islands of Borneo or Sumatra. The Javan Leopard is considered by many experts to be the common ancestor to all the leopard cats in Asia. Melanism, which produces "black" colored animals often referred to as "black panthers", is very common within this leopard subspecies. Based upon the distinctiveness of the Javan Leopard, and the unparalleled opportunities for genetic study, many researchers and wildlife experts are urging proper facilities to begin systematic and careful captive breeding programs to preserve this valuable subspecies and the genetic material it provides ... before the endangered and severely threatened Javan Leopard suffers the same fate as the Java Tiger and Balinese Tiger.

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