At the start of the new millennium, the Amur leopard—considered the world’s rarest big cat—was on the brink of extinction. Fewer than 40 of these animals remained in the wild, raising serious concerns about the species’ future. A turning point arrived in April 2012 with the inauguration of "Land of the Leopard" National Park in Russia. This park became central to a focused conservation program designed to safeguard the leopard's habitat. Crucially, the initiative also targeted and reduced poaching within "Land of the Leopard", a significant threat to the leopards’ survival. As a direct result of these efforts, the Amur leopard population has dramatically increased, tripling in number since the year 2000. This success story demonstrates the power of targeted conservation in rescuing a species from the edge of extinction in Russia.