You might have seen the story that's been sweeping the nation and stealing hearts! Our beautiful Amur Leopard Freddo, the rarest cat in the world, has become quite the hit on a 'dating site'.

With roughly 100 left in the wild and only 220 in captivity, finding a love match is tough! There are lots of steps to go through to ensure we find a suitable, genetic partner for Freddo!

To find a suitable mate, there are a few avenues to explore, firstly there is a database called ZIMS that logs animal ages, sexes, weights and nutritional information amongst others, and this tool can be used to see what animals are where. This is used by a wide scope of zoos around the world, in 102 countries to be exact! Not all zoos use this system and it relies upon regular data entry, so there are alternative options, if not all the information is readily available!

Secondly, would be through Stud Book Keepers. They keep a record of a certain species in a breeding programme. They will have the animal's lineage, who they are related to and where they are kept. They can then recommend, or we can ask for their input on a specific species and decide from there next steps as to coordinating a suitable animal pairing.

Finally, and most importantly, would be through a breeding programme, such as the EEP (European Endangered Species Programme), who recommended the move for our very own Freddo! European breeding programme recommendations are required to be followed, as they focus specifically on a captive breeding population. So, much in the same way as our Freddo's move, their recommendations directly impact breeding numbers in captivity and are vital for conservation efforts and population increases.

Going through this process takes some time, but we're hopeful and on the hunt already! We have had a lot of interest, so love could be on the horizon very soon!

This is where we need your help...Can you help us to provide a beautiful new enclosure for Freddo's love interest?

With £20,000, we can create an enclosure next door to Freddo, to enable the pair to meet, get used to each other and hopefully bond, before they are formally introduced to each other!

If successful, the pitter patter of tiny paws could be the next exciting news here at Dartmoor Zoo!

Conservation efforts for this species are vital, and we're incredibly proud of the hard work undertaken so far, and we're ready to take on the next steps for protecting the Amur Leopards - show your support and donate today!

Please note: should donations exceed the required amount for the enclosure, these funds will be used for the care and wellbeing of our animals.

Thank you.