Zanzibar leopard

Zanzibar leopard
Mounted specimen in the Zanzibar Museum
Mounted specimen in the Zanzibar Museum
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus: Panthera
Species: P. pardus
Subspecies: P. p. pardus
Population: Zanzibar leopard

The Zanzibar leopard is an African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) population on Unguja Island in the Zanzibar archipelago, Tanzania, that is considered extirpated due to persecution by local hunters and loss of habitat. It was the island's largest terrestrial carnivore and apex predator.[1][2] Increasing conflict between people and leopards in the 20th century led to the demonization of the Zanzibar leopard and determined attempts to exterminate it. Efforts to develop a leopard conservation program in the mid-1990s were shelved when wildlife researchers concluded that there was little prospect for the population's long-term survival.[3] In 2018, a leopard was recorded by a camera trap, thus renewing hopes for the population's survival, although some experts remain skeptical.[4][5]

  1. ^ Goldman, H. V. & Walsh, M. T. (2002). "Is the Zanzibar Leopard (Panthera pardus adersi) Extinct?". Journal of East African Natural History. 91 (1/2): 15–25. doi:10.2982/0012-8317(2002)91[15:ITZLPP]2.0.CO;2.
  2. ^ Walsh, M. T. & Goldman, H. V. (2008). "Updating the Inventory of Zanzibar Leopard Specimens". Cat News. 49: 4–6.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Stuart was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Li, J. (2018). "Zanzibar Leopard Captured on Camera, Despite Being Declared Extinct". Inside Edition. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  5. ^ Rossi, L.; Scuzzarella, C.M.; Angelici, F.M. (2020). "Extinct or Perhaps Surviving Relict Populations of Big Cats: Their Controversial Stories and Implications for Conservation". In Angelici, F.M.; Rossi, L. (eds.). Problematic Wildlife II: New Conservation and Management Challenges in the Human-Wildlife Interactions. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 393–417. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-42335-3_12. ISBN 978-3-030-42335-3. S2CID 218943307.