Oregon Zoo Amur Leopard Dies, 'Beloved' Borris Was 19

PORTLAND, OR – The Oregon Zoo is in mourning today. Borris, one of their Amur leopards, was euthanized on Tuesday. He was 19 years old.

The zoo, which describes him as "beloved," said Borris was one of the oldest Amur leopards in the world; most live between 10 and 15 years.

Borris, who was born on May 5, 1999 at the Miller Park Zoo in Illinois, arrived in Portland eight years ago on the recommendation of the American Zoological Association's species survival experts. Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts

"With only around 300 Amur leopards left on the entire planet, each passing is keenly felt," said Amy Cutting, who oversees the zoo’s Amur cat area. "But this one is especially tough. We know that ultimately the pain of losing Borris will pale beside the joy of having had him in our lives. But this one is going to take a while. He was one-of-a-kind."

Cutting says that even though Amur leopards are often solitary, they do socialize. Borris, though, was hand-raised and had trouble getting along with other cats.

At the Oregon Zoo, he was introduced to Kia, the zoo's female Amur leopard.

"Kia quickly told him what was what, and they lived comfortably together for many years," Cutting says. "She was the only female who ever put Borris in his place enough to live peaceably, and sometimes they would even play together."

Borris had really started to show his age this year, according to zoo officials. Earlier this year, his caretakers noticed that Borris was having trouble grooming himself. They started using a bamboo backscratcher to help him with his daily routine.

"Borris is getting older, and he's not as flexible as he used to be," said Sara Morgan, one of the leopard's caregivers. "The backscratcher helps him with those hard-to-reach spots. He seems to really enjoy it, and it helps him keep his fur nice and clean. To look at him, you'd never know he was such an elderly fellow."

Cutting says that Borris' species of leopard, the Amur, is in danger of extinction as more and more of their natural habitat is lost to roads and logging. On top of that, the leopards have taken to hunting domestic livestock since the number of deer that is their main food source has been decreasing. That has resulted in farmers killing the leopards.

The leopards are also hunted for their fur and for their bones, which are believed to have medicinal powers.

Photo and video via Oregon Zoo.