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TRAFFIC
These leopard and tiger skins, with fake mouths, were photographed for sale in Myanmar, which neighbors India.
While India has struggled to protect its declining tiger population, its leopards have been getting even less protection, or attention for that matter. A study released Friday recognized that flaw, estimating that at least four leopards are being killed each week, double the official reports, with their skins then smuggled to parts of Asia.
"Even though reports of illegal trade in leopard body parts are disturbingly frequent, the level of threat to leopards in the country has previously been unrecognized, and has fallen into our collective 'blind spot'," study co-author Rashid Raza, the India coordinator for the TRAFFIC wildlife trade monitoring network, said in a statement with the study.
At least 2,300 leopards were killed and then their body parts trafficked between 2001 and 2010, the study estimates.
Official reports of seizures account for nearly half that number, with the rest an estimate based on statistical analysis of "undetected trade" patterns by TRAFFIC, which is funded by the World Wildlife Fund and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The WWF said it was time to focus more efforts on leopards. They have been "overshadowed by the trade in another of the country’s national icons, the tiger," noted WWF-India President Divyabhanusinh Chavda.
Mks Pasha / TRAFFIC
Leopards are widespread across India but not abundant, with experts agreeing that their population is in serious decline.
The report cited numerous cases of leopard skins from India that were for sale in nearby Myanmar, Laos and Tibetan regions of China.
Much of the illegal trade is thought to go through the "porous" border with Nepal, the experts said.
The report noted that while no reliable estimates of leopard numbers in India exist, they are considered widespread but not abundant.
"There has been a long standing anxiety among biologists and conservationists that the leopard in India is in serious decline," the experts stated.
TRAFFIC
This leopard skin was used to make a rug.
Leopards, like tigers, do have protected status in India, but many Indians consider both animals a threat. Some rural villagers have lost livestock, or even their lives, to leopards and tigers.
The report's authors said that conflict isn't a reason to turn a blind eye to a potential extinction.
"There is still a disproportionate emphasis on the problem that the leopard causes in comparison to the crisis that the leopard is facing," the report stated.
The plight of India's tigers is probably even worse: just 1,700 are estimated to be left in the wild, nearly half the number from a decade ago and a fraction of the 100,000 estimated a century ago. Worldwide, only 4,000 tigers are thought to be left in the wild.
But other data suggests more leopards are being killed than tigers. The nonprofit Project Tiger reports cases of leopards killed for skins far exceeded tiger poachings in each year between 1998 and 2003.
TRAFFIC and the WWF, after listing ways for India to crack down on trafficking, said a lack of action could lead leopards down that same path.
"Without an effective strategy to assess and tackle the threats posed by illegal trade," said Chavda, "the danger is that leopard numbers may decline rapidly as happened previously to the tiger."
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Leave a Comment:
You think that is bad. The United States Congress has recently passed legislation allowing Michigan or maybe Montanna Hunters to bring back the pelts of 41 Polar Bears per person.
If you hunt leopards from a tree stand - you're probably a redneck.
Wrong! It is a total of 41 pelts, over several years time. They have been in storage
pending legislation. I guess deweydan can read but not comprehend.
MomNature IS GOING TO STEP IN with a Pandemic which knocks off ONLY "Humans" and with 7BILLION People and counting, She's got quite a job. Watch "Walking Dead" or "Night Of The Comet". Otherwise, if Little Planet Earth's Errant Monkey population, That'd Be We Humans who evolved from the Great Apes 2Million Years Ago, keeps Exploding, 3rd World Countries ESP with their "MALE ONLY" Population Obsession and Total STUPIDITY, The Super$H!T is gonna Hit The Fan. The Spanish Flu in 1917 killed 60Million THEN and It is a close brother to the Bird Flu, EXCEPT The Bird Flu, H5N1, is not Very Contagious; ENTER The Swine Flu, H1N1 Which Is VERY Contagious But with a small KillRate. Ever Wonder WHY All Drug Stores and SuperMarkets make it EASY and Push US to get our Flu Shots?? World Scientists are VERY worried the swine flu with a KillRate of 2% will mutate up with the BirdFlu which has a kill rate of 70% and Worse yet they would Combine/mutate with a Bloody Killer like EbolaVirus; ALL which Do NOT effect The World's Animals aka God's Innocent Children. Whad'ya Think before getting that "fur coat" What is wrong with Synthetic Fur??????
If the global comunity would put a large fine on the posession of new Tiger or Leopard parts then the people would not be so quick to buy any.
Say Fifty thousand for any Tiger or Leopard part and One Hundred Thousand Dollars for a hide.
And jail time for hunting a Tiger or Leopard. 9 to 18 months will put a damper on your plans.
john 528 ...the numbers of polar bear skins and the period of time is irrelevant. no one should be allowed to shoot polar bears for any reason, ever. that these despicable people are proud of what they did and now want to import these animals skins is revolting. what a bunch of small-minded, selfish, rich rednecks.
Stop it India. You people are perhaps the oldest civilization on Earth. Let us see how civilized you can be instead of destructive behavior. Your country is so full of color and life, then we see stuff like this, and are disappointed in you.
fckng bstrds..enuff said
The Redneck, Anti-Tree Hugger Environmental Plan:
1. If it moves, shoot it.
2. If it's there, use it.
3. If it gets in your way, stomp on it.
US,India,China,Pakistan,Brazil,etc (Amazon's rain forest deforestation) NEED TO STOP eating whales,killing endangered species,cutting unique forests WE ALL LIVE ON THIS PLANET,including them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big Cats are plummeting all over the world...
We have billions of CHinese, Indian, and Muslims who neither have much respect for wildlife...
A few years ago there was a Hurricane in the Gulf just as the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were migrating to Central America. I had 5 pairs I was feeding now I only have 2 pairs of Hummingbirds. I used to laugh at the Blue Jays for being so greedy at the bird feeders. Do to West Nile Fever, I haven't seen these birds for about 4 yrs. Polar bears are drowning and starving because there aren't enough ice flows. We have enough problems without these lower than scum poachers killing Elephants, Rhinos, Leopards, Tigers, Bears and kidnapping Gorillas. Please, can't we just kill these lowlifes!
I don't think I could say it better than all those above One suggestion check out, join and donate to the www.WWF.org, they do good work.
I donated $25 once to the WWF... then they would not stop sending me so much paper junkmail! Seriously for my $25 contribution they probably sent me at least double that in paper waste over a year and a half, soliciting me for more donations. Some of the mail they sent said I had to join and actively contribute every single month in order to stop them from sending me paper mail. SERIOUSLY??? I emailed them and told them they were wasteful, contributing to killing trees for unnecessary paper waste. I told them to remove me from their list and cancel my limited membership or whatever it was. So much of their money must go towards advertising instead of conservation. Look at how much time and money they spend on the "free" gifts and stuffed animals that they have available, depending on how much you donate. Well, they don't get any more of my money, I will just recycle.
In pushing other species to extinction, humanity is busy sawing off the limb on which it is perched.
Most Animals have gone extinct long before mankind even came on this planet.
You are absolutely correct Mark. And right now we are at the beginning of another mass extinction event. But this one will be the first one that was a direct cause of the actions of one species. I'll give you three guesses which species it is that is going to be the cause of this one.
@ Phil Sm True. But, do you ever think it will stop? And, who a able to do it? @Mark. Maybe true but humans are
doing a good job of wiping out what is left and the planet is in trouble.
The planet isn't in trouble although mankind may be.
what an ignorant and greedy bastards, look the difference between the dead skin and the beautiful colors of the live leopard
There's something effeminate about men who get great pleasure from having a dead animal lying on their floor, mouth agape, eyes dull & expressionless. Why wouldn't a faux animal carcass do the job just as well?
Reminds me of the illegal Rhino/Elephant ivory trade that is decimating Africa. Most of it is fueled by Asia. Harkening back to their medieval beliefs, they stupidly believe that dead animals possess an other-worldly attribute, and if they consume them - or destroy them - they will inherit whatever is inherent in the animal.
Rhinos, Elephants, Whales, Tigers, and now Leopards. East Asia is rapidly becoming my least favorite area of the world.
I teach Animal Law and am in the process of setting up a NP. I WISH I could say out loud what you did. I can tell you that women I know consider kindness, especially to underdogs (disabled folks, animals, kids, etc.) very desirable. If he is out there doing bad things to animals, RUN. Abuse of humans starts with animals, between 84 and100% of the time, depending on the crime (e.g. sexual homicide=100%). I know many folks won't see hunting and eating shark fin soup, etc. as cruel but we do.
I know some species of people we should hunt down
They should have an open season on people who kill endangered species, and reward their killers if proven they were poaching them. I think $5,000 American dollars per kill should suffice. The world could set up a fund to pay for it.
Anyone caught trafficking any killed exotic animal materials should be executed.
I need to check my African Dangerous Game Hunt schedule. Yeah, a leopard is on the list...for $10,000
As our government hires a bunch of hacks to shoot wolves with the latest technology in rifles, and has the nerve to call them sharpshooters. Then slaughtering thousands of Americas wild horses claiming that they damage the land that 60,000,000 buffalo somehow did not harm.
Then the Aussies sink to a new low as they shoot Great White sharks when shark attacks are so rare, and only happen when there is mistaken identity.
Why don't these people try to kill mosquitoes instead, they are the deadliest animal on the planet.