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We are very saddened to announce the death of our beloved Amur leopard, Sergei.
24th February, 2025
Sergei
We are very saddened to announce the death of our beloved 20-year-old Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), Sergei.
Sergei arrived at Emerald Park in 2011 and since then has been massively popular with our guests, impressing them with his incredible agility and regality.
Amur leopards are the rarest of the big cats with less than 100 individuals known in their natural range. Although Sergei did not father any offspring, as his genetic line was already heavily represented, he contributed to the conservation of his conspecifics through partaking in numerous research projects, contributing to the constant upskilling and development of our zoo team and through the lasting impact he made on multiple generations of guests that visited him over the years.
Sergei wowed guests daily, during zoo talks and incredible training sessions allowing them to learn about these amazing species. This has led to the donation of over €60,000 to the Wild Cats Conservation Alliance which goes directly to conserving Amur Leopards in the wild.
Due to his advanced age, Sergei had some issues with his health which were continuing to deteriorate. The difficult decision was made to put Sergei to sleep by our expert team of zookeepers and vets, in conjunction with the ethics committee, on medical and welfare grounds.
Quote from Discovery and Learning Manager Leah
"I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to work with Sergei over the past few years. He made such a massive impact on our visitors, from third level students doing research to families coming to the zoo talks. During the busy summer months, the leopard talk was always a massive hit and when we got to show Sergei’s incredible training skills the guests would be fascinated and always wanted to know more.”
Quote from Senior Keeper Suzie
“I've been lucky enough to work with Sergei over the past 12 years. When I first started working with Sergei he was a very feisty and at times an aggressive animal however, through working closely with him and building up our bond through training, amongst other factors he became a much calmer individual. He was such an intelligent animal, his willingness and eagerness to train and the numerous veterinary behaviours he was trained for really stood to him in particular in his old age, where we were able to do health checks including blood draws on him with sedation. He made such a huge impact on my zookeeping career and was an excellent ambassador animal for the species. Sergei was a much loved part of our Emerald Park zoo family, we will miss him dearly.”
Quote from Keeper Emma
“Sergei was such a beautiful leopard. You couldn't help but stop and admire him, watching him climb to the highest platform, lounging in fresh bark chip or tackling his feeds with impressive agility. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to work with him behind the scenes and in more recent times seeing how he excelled in his veterinary care training and just getting to see his boisterous personality up close, even in his impressive old age. He was an incredible ambassador for the Amur Leopard species. 🐆 ❤️”
Sergei
Sergei will be sadly missed by all of our staff and guests here in Emerald Park.