Securing a Future for Leopards in South Africa 07 December 2005
| News story IUCN –The World Conservation Union, Gland,
Switzerland (7.12.2005) - The leopard (Panthera pardus) is the
most persecuted large cat species in the world. Leopards have
been eradicated from vast tracts of their former range, due
mainly to habitat loss, depletion of natural prey, and human
persecution. Despite this, leopards are often seen as a low
conservation priority. An ever-increasing number of leopards are
being destroyed by farmers, pastoralists and illegal hunters.
Yet, while numerous studies have been executed on the ecology
and behaviour of leopards, the conservation needs of the species
have never been addressed. In response to this, and as a result
of increased hunting in the region, the Mun-Ya-Wana Leopard
Project, involving members of the SSC Cat Specialist Group, is
investigating the long-term sustainability of leopards in
northern Kwa Zulu-Natal, South Africa, across a mosaic of
different land-uses and persecution level