A chance to catch a first glimpse of two rare leopard cubs born at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation has got visitors purring with excitement. Chris Price found out how they will be part of a painstaking fight to save them from extinction.

Jumping at each other through the grass, these two Amur leopard cubs have no idea how important they are to the future of their species.

“You can waste hours watching them play with mum in the evening,” said Wildlife Heritage Foundation’s head photographer Andy Porter, who has had the privilege of getting very close to these two little beacons of hope.

“They come out and play hide and seek, then they get told off by mum and go inside.”

Although it is too soon to tell the twins’ sex yet, keepers at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, near Headcorn, think they have a boy and a girl, which is crucial to saving this endangered species. Only about 30 Amur leopards are left in the wild, of which just six have been recorded as female, with another 100 in captivity.

The sanctuary acts as a breeding centre for big and small cats, aiming to provide a diverse DNA pool available to endangered species and, eventually, release cats into the wild when it is safe to do so.

Yet this is a very long term plan and something that will never happen to these two Amur leopard cubs, who will go on show to paying members of the public from Wednesday, August 1.

Instead it is hoped they can be bred with others from around the world, so their cubs can roam the Amur Valley, their native land in the far east of Russia.

“No cat born in captivity will ever be released back into the wild,” said Andy, who is one of just four full-time members of staff at the sanctuary, who are helped by two part-timers and 25 volunteers.

The head keeper, Andy’s wife Rebecca, looks after 50 cats.

The Wildlife Heritage Foundation has already had success with the Amur leopard and the Sumatran tiger. Descendents of the first Amur cats born at the sanctuary in 2008 were eventually released into the wild after a painstaking breeding process.

The cubs born at the sanctuary were sent to Japan to mate with their cats over there and their offspring were then sent to the native habitat in Russia. They were then bred with a near native cat, which had experienced no contact with humans and their cubs were released into the wild.

“The reason they have so little human contact is we do not want them to see a farmer pushing his wheelbarrow and attack him because they think he is a keeper with food,” said Andy.

The process costs about £1 million per cat released into the wild.

The leopards left around the Amur Valley live in small pockets and as a result, in-breeding is high, which is why the World Heritage Foundation’s work to extend the DNA pool is so important.

“It is a small price to pay considering what humans have done to them,” said Andy. “Everyone here works on the minimum wages so the animals get the full financial benefit.”

It is hoped a similar journey will be taken by the Smarden sanctuary’s two new arrivals and they can play their part in the survival of their species.

When they reach maturity at about 18 months to two years they might be sent to another country to join a well-suited mate or stay at the sanctuary and have a partner brought in.

For now, though, there is plenty of time for some more hide and seek.

Call of the wild

A police officer in Kent for more than 12 years, Andy Porter became a photographer after leaving the force.

He volunteered at Wildlife Heritage Foundation for four years before being employed at the park two years ago. He lives on site with his wife Rebecca, the head keeper.

He said: “There is nothing better. Going to sleep listening to the animals and hearing their calling is amazing.”

Putting big cats in the picture

The Big Cat Sanctuary at Smarden, near Headcorn, is not regularly open to the public but hosts various events each month which can be booked online.

The sanctuary is hosting its second open day of the year on Wednesday, August 15. More than 2,500 people turned up for their first one earlier this month, seeing more than 40 cats living there and enjoying a bouncy castle, face painting, cake stalls and a barbecue.

One of their biggest attractions at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation is their photography days, held for adults and children and run by Andy Porter.

Many professional photographers come down to the park for Andy’s tuition and to get up close to the majestic creatures, some as many as nine times a year. These have included the photographer Steve Bloom.

During the workshop, budding snappers are given a 20-minute presentation on photography and then health and safety training, before heading out to take pictures of the animals for more than three hours.

“We show them how to get good pictures, using pieces of meat to get the cats into position,” said Andy. “None of the animals are trained. They just come over if they want to.

“Patience is the key. Having your camera on the right setting for the conditions you are shooting in is important and always be prepared. Cats do things when you least expect it.

“Knowing your subject is a big thing and knowing your surroundings. Just being generally aware is the simplest advice. It is very hard to get perfect shots but even in this environment the photographers are guaranteed to look natural.”

Children’s courses for ages eight to 16 run every month – the next one is on Monday, July 30.

The sanctuary also hosts Ranger for the Day experiences and the Big Cat Encounter, where visitors can hand-feed one of the cats.

The two Amur leopard cubs will go on show to visitors from Wednesday, August 1 and snappers can also look out for two serval kittens born earlier this year, one girl and one boy.

Further details at www.whf.org.uk