The leopard is one of the most beautiful animals on earth, however, it has recently been learned that this beautiful cat is under attack. New studies led by TRAFFIC are finding that in India, leopards are being poached at a terribly high rate with almost four leopards being poached every week in the past ten years. This study helps to show the world just how dire the situation is.
Part of the reason why this has gone unnoticed for so long is because of the amount of attention given to saving the tigers in India.
The study found that the amount of leopards being poached was double of what we thought it really was!
There have been 420 findings of illegal leopard parts recently in India including teeth, claws, skulls, other bones, and furs.
Many speculate the reason that the Leopard is being poached at such a high rate is because the role Leopards part play in traditional Chinese medicine.
To combat, this TRAFFIC suggested finding a better way to find the people responsible for poaching.
Another suggestion, and one of the most important, is to help spread the knowledge about what is happening to the leopards in order for people to help save them.
“Without an effective strategy to assess and tackle the threats posed by illegal trade, the danger is the leopard numbers may decline rapidly as happened previously to the Tiger”- Divyabhunusinh Chava, President of WWF India.
Want to learn more? Read the full story: Leopard poaching is a bigger problem in India than previously believed