A. Species
Scientific name: Panthera pardus
Common name(s): Leopard
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Vulnerable
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Eastern Cape Province
- KwaZulu-Natal
- Gauteng
- Mpumalanga
Country/Region: South Africa / KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Eastern Cape provinces
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State
Name/Details of location: KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Eastern Cape provinces
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2013
End Year: 2018
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: Only parts or products of the organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Ceremony and ritual expression and Decorative and aesthetic
Motivation of use: Traditional/Cultural/Spiritual
Is this use legal or illegal?: Illegal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: Leopard numbers are in decline, and so the use of leopard furs by practitioners of the Shembe religion adds to this decline. Leopard fur ownership is also illegal in S. Africa without a permit - none of 8,600 respondents had such a permit. This study explores the potential to use faux for to substitute for year fur, reporting limited success.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: This study takes its mandate to try to reduce leopard exploitation from CITES and from South African Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) regulations - this is the backcloth against which this Panthera (NGO) 'Furs for Life' (FFL) initiative was instigated.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Details of assessment carried out: This study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Not investigated
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: This study deals with a cultural / religious aspect of a social use: The Shembe religion holds that everyman is the inkosi (king) of his household and, therefore, eligible to wear leopard skin, a long-standing symbol of Zulu royalty. This requirement for thousands of loepard skins is not sustainable, despite quasi-religious heritage.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Details of assessment carried out: This study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Not investigated
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Details of assessment carried out: This study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Not recorded
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
The study concludes that demand reduction strategies, including continued provisioning of suitable alternatives, improved education ,and increased enforcement, are essential to addressing a growing culturo-religious demand for wildlife products that exacerbates illegal harvest and trade. Success, however, will ultimately depend on finding the balance between improved transnational policy that effectively conserves wildlife populations while maintaining respect for cultural value and practices.
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2020-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.289
Date of record entry: 2022-11-24