Tag: Endangered

Red wolf

red wolf

Red wolves

Red wolves have varied a bit about whether they should be classed as their own species or a subspecies of the grey wolf, however it has now been settled that they are separate for quite some time.

Size-wise it lies midway between a grey wolf and a coyote. Indeed, despite its serious danger of extinction, it is often missing from the endangered list. It has at various times been suggested to be a cross between the wolf and the coyote, or been a subspecies of the wolf.

It has been listed as critically endangered since 1996 by the IUCN, yet the same species is not listed in the CITES appendices of endangered species.

If or when we write any articles on this subject, they will appear below

To return to the canine family, click here

The Manned wolf

Looking, at first glance, like a fox on stilts, it is found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay, and is almost extinct in Uruguay. It is actually not a wolf or a dog, but instead sits in its own genus Chrysocyon  which means “golden dog”. It is crepuscular and omnivorous, and lives on the open habitat of the South America Savanna. The IUCN classes it as near threatened, while a Brazilian organisation with a similar role lists it as vulnerable.

Its name in a local language calls it a big fox. Indeed some studies have suggested that it should be in the same genus as pseudo-foxes.

A recent study suggested that its nearest relative was the Falkland islands wolf, and its mainland relatives – but you have to go back 7 million years to find a common ancestor with this group.

It only hunts solitarily, and its preferred habitat is grasslands, scrub prairies, and forests.

It is not currently considered endangered, given its wide area in which it inhabits, never-the-less it is recognized as a near threatened species due to its reducing numbers. In Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay it is forbidden to hunt them. It has been used to publicize the fight to protect the Brazilian cerrado, by placing it on one of the Brazilian notes.

This animal was shown in great detail in planet earth 3 episode 3, however, this clip is from a bbc series a few years ago.

As we make contacts which you can use to plan your travel to see this animal for yourself.

Domestic cat

Domestic cat

Domestic cats are thought to have been first tamed back around 10,000 somwhere in the middle east. Unfortunately, as this is the cat that makes up the worldwide domestic cat population (almost exclusively) in many regions like Scotland, while reduction in numbers made specific subspecies of wildcat endangered, it has often been hybridisation that has pushed them over the edge.

There is little point in showing a map of the world, as they are found in almost every human population. It is thought that there are at least 200 million across the globe

Domestic cats are thought to have been tamed in Israel, which has unfortunately meant that this species of wild cat is now spread across the globe – many local species of wildcat have become extinct through hybridisation, the British wildcat is just one such example. There are now only pure British wildcats in captivity, and while there are still quite a few living wild in Scotland they have Asiatic wildcat features. This has happened in many places and solutions are not yet forthcoming.

While unfortunate, there is still work being done. In the UK there are plans to clear a peninsular of domestic cats, and re-establish a wildcat population. Only in situations like Scotland is hybridization likely, the most common reaction to a wildcat meeting a domestic cat is for the wildcat to kill the domestic cat. I hope to live to see the wildcat roaming Scotland once more, but we will se what happens.

They are not hard to see if you are in the right place. I have seen them in Africa, take a night drive in almost any nature reserve. Links will be added below.

Andean Cat (often called the Andean mountain cat)

Andean mountain cat

This small wildcat species are found across an isolated series of mountain regions in the Andean mountains.

This cat is considered endangered in its native habitat. It is found in the high andes but there are only about 1400 that remain in the wild and declining. One big threat is the fact that the mountain Chinchilla has been hunted to the brink of extinction – given their habitats coincided, the loss of this food source is likely to be a big threat to the survival of the Andean mountain cat, as at high altitudes, there is less food, so the loss of one of their major food sources might well cause the population to crash.

There is precedent for a crash like this- the Iberian rabbit population was hit with a series of illnesses both caused by human carelessness or intentionally introduced. This caused the rabbit population to crash and as a result most Iberian lynx to die. It is likely that a captive breeding project for the mountain Chinchilla and rerelease into its former range could quickly change this situation – a single female can have 12 young at a maximum, and are ready to breed at 2 years old – that means that within 5 years, a group of 20 of these animals could have become thousands – whether we can afford to wait that long is another issue.

Below this, we will include a video shot by a conservationist, of this cat in the wild. Below that, is a list of any articles which we have written on this species in the past, and below this we will include any links as to where you can see this species in the wild.

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African forest elephants are now considered critically endangered, and African savannah elephants endangered, are the Asiatic elephants safe? And are we killing one of the few hopes humanity has? A guide to what remains

The African savannah elephant has declined by 60% over the last 50 years, and the African forest elephant has declined by 86% over the last 31 years.

So how close are these species to disappearing? There are currently 415,000african elephants in the wild, spread across 23 countries.

Unfortunately, their situation is highly different on different parts of the continent. Botswana still supports 130,000 Savanah elephants, while Tanzania lost 60% of their elephants between 2009 and 2014 (though some reserves till have healthy populations), one place hit particularly hard was the Selous which 40 years ago had over 150,000 and currently hosts 15,000 elephants.

While the African forest elephant was only recognized as a separate species in 2021 (there has been much argument about its status), what is not in question is its horrific decline in numbers. Indeed finding a web page that gives you an accurate figure is hard work, This may well because one does not exist. There has been horrific population declines over recent years, and the density is incredibly varied across its range.

Unfortunately one thing is clear, in areas of the Congo rainforest where elephants have lost, the forest does less well. There are many plant species which rely on elephants to carry their seeds from from where they are dropped. As such, without forest elephants we are likely to loose many species of trees – to the extent that it might threaten the survival of the Congo rainforest itself.

African forest elephat

So how are Asiatic elephants doing? Unfortunately not great. There are 5 subspecies

First, the Indian elephant. This is the best known and most wide spread. Currently their Indian population is thought to be between 27,000 and 31,000, with between 10,000 and 14,000 across another 10 countries. While I am listing 4 subspecies these all look relatively similar.

Borneo elephant – the most positive estimate, suggests that there are 1500 remaining in the rainforests of Borneo

Sumatran elephant 2400-2800

Sri Lankan elephant 7500

Syrian elephant – this species was lost as much as 1000 years ago, and occupied the western most part of the Asiatic elephant range.

As such what is clear, is that while African elephant populations are falling fast there is time to check this decline. The Asiatic elephant populations are far more in danger.

African Savannah

African Savannah animals

The aim here is not to give you the number of every species that exists in each reserve. Rather, the aim is to give you a rough idea of the health and size of each reserve. In places where there are private reserves on the edge of a larger reserve, complete ecosystem numbers will be given. Please note that they will not be precise, as even straight after a thorough count numbers are only estimates – furthermore, some reserves do not publicize their numbers.

The grid of animals that I have included above are as follows (below):

African wild dog Black rhino White rhino(Really wide rhino) Elephant Buffalo Giraffe Zebra Cheetah Hippopotamus Lion Hyena Leopard

This is going to be the standard animals for Savannah ecosystems within Africa, however each different Biome will have different species so there will be a variety of these pages. I will give you brief information on each. In the long-run we hope to have animal pages for each and these will be linked from the Bold animal names. Those not bold not not yet have a link page. At the bottom of each animals page is a list of places which you can book to see the animal in question; each currently have at least a few choices, but I hope to be able to direct to many more as time moves forwards.

African wild dog (or sometimes known as Cape hunting dog or painted dog). This animal is an incredible sighting if you get lucky. Now, they live at low densities, so are generally found in the largest reserves. If a reserve still has African wild dog, it is clear that the reserve is in pretty good health (usually). Furthermore, as they are very susceptible to various diseases that domestic dogs can carry (such as canine distemper) – this wiped out the population in the Serengeti in 1995. Thankfully, wild dogs have returned to the Serengeti, though currently only 100 or so are in the ecosystem – meaning it is unlikely that you will see them here. Any sighting is a wonderful thing. Member of ecotourism big 7

Black and White Rhino Two different species, Black rhino had a far larger range, unfortunately they are highly endangered across most of their range. White rhino, once found in central Africa (there are now only 2 of these animals left, held at Ol Pejeta conservancy in Kenya) are now only found in Southern Africa – South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The Kruger, once hosted as much as 10,000 or more white rhino, but now only have about 3000. Note: white rhino appears to be a mistranslation from the Africaans Weit, meaning wide, these rhino are not white. Pictures are Black then white rhino. Member of big 5 and ecotourism big 7

Elephant One of the species that so many people visit Africa for, the Savannah African elephant is doing okay, though the populations is far below historical levels. Places like the Selous (now much of this reserve is Nyerere National park) lost perhaps 80% of there historical elephant population. Encouragingly, if the poaching stops the population often rapidly recovers. The African forest elephant has seen horrific poaching over the last few decades, and without a rapid change this species might be heading for extinction (the African forest elephant is closer related to the Mammoth than the African Savannah elephant. Member of the big 5 and ecotourism big7.

Buffalo: A member of the big 5, the buffalo is essentially a wild cattle species. They are a member of the big 5 and ecotourism big 7. The big 5 is so named because these were the most dangerous animals to hunt on foot. Buffalo are often the species which you are likely to have encounters with if you go walking on foot.

Lion Often referred to as the King of the Jungle (despite not being found in jungles), is generally considered the apex predator. Certainly a wonderful thing to see, never-the-less they do not get their own way all the time. The population of Lions in Africa has seen precipice falls in the last century, and this has not stopped. Tourism is one tool we have to give them financial value to those who share their space with them. Member of the big 5 and ecotourism big 7

Giraffe: While this is a species that is found in the majority of Southern and Eastern African reserves, they are officially classed as endangered, as their population is currently falling so fast. The selous in Tanzania is nicknamed the Griraffe park as there are so many of them.

Zebra are also found in most reserves in Africa, though the number of them is still of interest.

Cheetah Like African Wild dog are a key indicator of the health of the ecosystem. Living at low densities in most reserves (except in places like the Serengeti plains). These are rare sightings, and most reserves do not have many cheetah. Indeed of all the big species, the cheetah is one of the few predators who do better outside reserves.

Hippopotamus: This is another species that does reasonably well outside protected reserves, but their population has fallen fast over the last few years.

Lion Lions are a very clear indication of the health of each ecosystem. If there is a significant population of Lion, then it is a large reserve and therefore there is plenty of space for other species. Check our links at the bottom of the lion page for some of the best place to see them.

Hyena There are thought to be more than 100,000 spotted hyena in Africa, making them the most numerous predator on the continent. They are exciting animals to see, and their call is often one of the species that you hear from your campsite – the weird rising whoop which is the contact call they use between them. Watch the video below to see what I mean. The advantage of the population size is that you are likely to find them in most wilderness areas. Brown hyenas are also widely found, never the less, as they do not do well in close proximity to spotted hyenas which means they are more often found on the edge of reserves and outside them.

Leopard The last member of the big 5 and Ecotourism big 7, the Leopard is a fascinating species. A solitary animal (except mothers with their young) they are the only big cat, or indeed member of the big 5 that is reguarly found outside protected reserves, though this is decreasing over time. A fantastic sighting, they can be very hard to find, and sightings in big reserves are usually very crowded. Generally found near river courses, as these are the places where large trees are found, allowing the Leopard to rest out of danger.

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The long-tailed macaque was declared to be endangered in march this year, is anything safe

The long-tailed macaque is naturally found throughout southeast Asia. Often seen as pests, these generalists are highly intelligent and can survive on almost any food. As a result they have been considered commodities and therefore have been slaughtered for the bushmeat trade and captured as pets throughout many of the places where they are found.

While still seemingly numerous where they are found, the long-tailed macaque is now an endangered species. Is anything safe?

Even rapidly breeding primates are not going to be able to cope with this sort of pressure for long.

It is perhaps the pet trade that is the greatest danger. As with many other complicated pets long-tailed macaques are hard to look after in captivity and often develop behaviours that are difficult to handle. As a result the demand for their capture continues.

Perhaps of greater concern (for humanity, at least) is the fact that illnesses leak between macaques and humans surprisingly easily. Therefore having large numbers of these animals in captivity, in bad conditions, may well be breeding the next epidemic.

It is clear that the place for long-tailed macaques is in the wild in remaining rainforests, not as pets in wealthy people’s homes.

Can this species be saved? If it can’t there seems little chance for us to save many others, nevertheless as with many other species we must rapidly stop over exploiting this animal before it is gone forever.

Bonobo

Bonobo

Bonobos are a species of great ape, that split from chimpanzees between 1 million and 2 million years ago.

While for some people this is not that long ago, and Chimpanzees and Bonobos look so similar, their behaviour is significantly different. So what makes it so clear that these animals are separate species? Well they behave in totally different ways. 

Eastern Chimpanzee
Head and shoulders of a male chimpanzee
Bonobo sitting on a log

Where as male dominated chimpanzee society can be incredibly violent, and one of the first things that young chimpanzees learn is to get out of the way of the fighting as fast as possible;  Bonobo society is incredibly relaxed. Bonobos have found that the most simple way to deal with stress in through sex. Bonobos have a great deal of sex, and it occurs between all different couplings of members of the group. Female Bonobos are also the dominant ones .

They live on the other side of the Congo river. Indeed, it it thought that it was the Congo river forming which split these two species, and ended interbreeding 

There is one huge national park that protects these animals – Salonga national park, which has an area of almost twice the size of Wales. There is also Lomami National park which covers 3500 square miles.

Alongside this national park there are a handful of reserves including Tumba Ledima Reserve, Sankuru nature reserve, Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve. As well as many more.

We hope to link to as many of these as possible over time, though currently we don’t have any. As we get these we will add them at the bottom of the page. Directly below this, is a documentary on the bonobo, and below that is a list of all articles that have been written on this website about these fascinating animals. As we make links, these will be added below both of these.

Chimpanzee

Wild Chimpanzees photo credit Tai King

Chimpanzee

Given the incredible and very obvious similarities between humans and Chimpanzees, it is perhaps not surprising that seeing them in the wild is a wish for many people. Unfortunately, many fail to turn this wish into reality, for a variety of reasons. You cannot visit the Chimpanzees in a car, as the forest is too thick, so trekking is the way to go. Chimpanzee trekking is an incredibly exciting thing to do. Currently almost all of the chimp trekking takes place in just one or two of the places that they live wild.

If it is possible to change this, we can make chimpanzee populations across the tropical African belt valuable to local people, and therefore protect their long-term viability. The wild chimpanzee is an essential part of the places that they inhabit, so hunting and poaching threatens the collapse of the entire ecosystem.

Most of the places that they inhabit have already been invaded or lie close to human habitation so hunting and poaching threatens the collapse of the entire ecosystem One of our closest relatives and an image that we are very used to, unfortunately the chimpanzee like all other great apes is facing a precipitous decline in its population. Subspecies include, 

Eastern(21000-55000), 

Western(35000), 

Central(115000) and 

Nigerian-Cameron (3500-9000). 

As you can see many of these have wide ranging estimates which shows how little idea we have at the current time.

 

Chimpanzees inhabited wide-range of forests and open woodlands. When not attacked by humans, and when their homes are left standing they can do very well.

 

It is possible that organised tourism amongst some of these populations could help save them. Unfortunately it is entirely possible that many of these populations are lost before we can help. We aim to link to as many place that you can visit. These will be linked within a page for each subspecies, though some will also be linked at the bottom of the this page.

Chimpanzee
Central chimpanzee
Western chimpanzee
nigeria-cameroon-chimpanzee

We will also have a list of all articles on chimpanzee from this website below

Leopard

African Leopard
Indian leopard
javan leopard
Arabian leopard
Persian (or Caucasian) Leopard
indochinese leopard
Sri Lankan leopard
Amur leopard
indochinese leopard

Leopard

Leopards are one of the so called big 5 of Africa (big game hunting) and are often an animal that people are really keen to see).Looking beautiful when we manage to spot it, its look is specifically such that allows it to blend into the shadows, making it as hard to see in the dappled light that is filtering through the leaves of a tree. Leopard populations have declined by at least 25% in Africa over the last 30 years.

Leopards were once found from western Turkey all the way to the far East of Russia, and are still found from the southern tip of Africa to the frozen lands of northern Siberia. What is incredible, is that its yellow and black coat is a good camouflage through an incredibly wide range of habitats, from snow, desert, rainforest and Savannah. It should be noted, that in the rainforests of the Malaysian Peninsular as much as 50% of the population is made up by black or melanistic leopards, seemingly because in the deep shadow of the rainforest there is a large example of this. As well as covering leopards, we will cover the subspecies (there are nine recognized subspecies of leopards including African, Indian, Javan, Arabian, Amur, North Chinese, Caucasian (also called Persian), Indochinese and Sri Lankan). Given the huge area of the planet where Leopards live, it is not surprising that there are this many subspecies.

Given the wide range of leopard habitats they differ in size very dramatically. It is also obviously true that their conservation status is that a variety of different levels. As search I will try to cover as many of these different habitats and subspecies as possible (over time).

Due to their habit of staying in cover, it is far harder to get an accurate idea of how many leopards are left, but below I will attempt to do that.

Kruger, the Serengeti, south Luangwa all have around 1000 leopards. Indeed it is even thought that the population of cape leopards, scattered across the western cape is around this number of 1000.

It is certainly true that Leopards are a far harder thing to see when you are in the bush, however with perseverance and some night drives, you should get at least a couple leopard sightings on a safari holiday.

Below we will list the currently recognized subspecies of leopard. We hope in the future to have links to places where you can see each of these. Each of these will appear within its page, access them by clicking on the tabs

Leopard subspecies pages

African Leopard

50 years ago, Africa was estimated to have 700,000 the current number is nearer to 50,000 (the 700,000 figure came from a study in 1988, estimates vary widely, when I have written all my African leopard pages, I will give an estimate based on all the country estimates (it should be noted, however that this may be no more accurate). This is not evenly spread, such that while 34 countries are thought to still host them. It should be noted, that the so called Barbary leopard is included in this subspecies. While there is still much debate (not least the suggestion that the Sahara might have stopped gene from from the Barbary region to the rest of Africa. In a similar way, there is discussion on a variety of different populations of leopards, but these will not get their own tab, until they are declared as recognized subspecies (there was, at one time as many as 37 claimed different subspecies of leopard spread across Africa and Asia, many were lost, when the genetic differences were found to be so small).

Now, obviously, the decline from 700,000 leopards to just 50,000 has been substantial, which suggests a potential for recovery, however the majority of these would have roamed outside protected lands, and with an increased population (the human population has tripled in the last 50 years, from just over 400 million to over 1.2 billion in the same time. As such, much wilderness has been lost to human habitation and crop growing. As you can see, Leopards have declined a great deal more, around the edge of the Sahara, than anywhere else. It should be noted, that many range maps cover the majority of sub-Saharan Africa as Leopard range, when this is clearly not the case.

It is listed as Vulnerable by CITES with a current population of estimated 50,000. Its decline and future threats come down to a number of issues:

  1. African Leopard have suffered from habitat loss and fragmentation, increased illegal wildlife trade, decline in prey and poorly managed trophy hunting.
  2. Prey species are increasingly under threat as a result of the  unsustainable human bushmeat trade across large parts of Africa’s savannas (if we eat the leopards prey, then they cannot). Leopards are also killed illegally for their widely sought-after skins and other body parts used for ceremonial purposes.
  3. African Leopard have limited levels of ecological resilience to human-caused habitat fragmentation, and as a result are more restricted to conservation areas – future decline is anticipated unless conservation efforts are undertaken. Being apex predators they each need quite some space (even in good habitat, at least 5 square miles) and a viable population is usually considered at least 100 animals, many protected areas are too small, requiring Leopards to leave the reserve and cross the human landscape in order to reach others.
While in theory, hunting areas (where these Leopards can be shot for sport) are well managed and large enough to have self-sustaining populations, this is not always the case. Zambia and South Africa have both banned hunting in recent years, but before this, there were a number of hunting areas that bordered places like the Kruger, then when the leopard crosses a line it can be shot.  The ban in South Africa only lasted 2 years, between 2016 and 2018, however, at the moment South Africa is only allowed to hunt 150 per years, which is unlikely to effect the population. Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique all still have hunting operations, but these vary in how safe the population is. Apart from the 2 destinations at the top of the page, a longer list is coming, which will be at the bottom of the page.

The largest leopard populations include:

South Luangwa and the Southern KAZA tranfrontier park are both areas of Zambia, that are particularly good for wild Leopards;

Despite the continuing loss of lions, large parts of Kenya still have impressively high densities of leopards (as high as 1 every 3 square miles), though the fact that in many of these areas, there are no lions, it is perhaps not surprising that the leopard is more common.

Other protected areas with leopard populations include: Taï National Park (Ivory coast), Etosha National Park (Namibia), Virunga National Park (democratic republic of the Congo, and Kruger National Park (South Africa). 

Indeed, virtually the only natural habitat which leopards do not live in is very sandy deserts.
Given the complexity and range of this subspecies of Leopard, I will deal with each country in turn

 

      • Limpopo transfrontier park 1000 (Kruger national park and Sabi Sands, as well as other smaller private and public reserves)
      • Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park 150
      • Western province (western cape) is thought to have 500, while the eastern province is thought to have 400 (Eastern Cape) these two populations are often jointly referred to as the Cape leopard. The Cape leopard is named after the Cape Fold Mountains in South Africa, where they are mainly found. They are smaller and lighter than other leopards, and prefer mountainous areas. They are also more threatened than other leopards due to habitat limitations and urbanization. 
      • I believe that it could reasonably be argued that a further 1000 or at a stretch 2000 might live in small reserves which are scattered  across the country       

That gets us to a very generous estimate of 4000. Official population estimates range between 2813-11632 (hard to give credibility to the upper estimate). However, it would suggest that there is a great deal of space for this population to recover.

The current best estimate of the Leopard population found in Botswana is thought to be around 4295, though this estimates suggests as high as 6700 and as low as 1893.

  • Chobe national park and the Okovango delta are both part of the KAZA transfrontier park, a vast mosaic of protected areas. These have healthy populations of the Leopard, as well as many other animals
  • Nxai pan and Makgadikgadi par are also in the southern reaches of this vast area. As such the upper estimate is certainly possible, though the area still needs some recovery.
  • Moremi Game Reserve
  • Savuti and Mashatu Game Reserve
  • Various private reserves also have high populations (I will hope to add many of these here) many of the private reserves are on the edge of public reserves so will have their leopard populations counted with the rest of their ecosystem.

In 2019 they estimated 11,733 though this was down from 14154 in just 2011. There are a variety of both reserves and national parks to visit in this country. We would love to list some, do get in touch.

Reserves, known to be good for Leopard in Namibia, include:

  • Okonjima Nature Reserve
  • Etosha National Park
  • Caprivi Strip

 

Leopards in Zimbabwe are thought to be doing relatively well with a population of 1200-2000. Zimbabwe is relatively lucky in its placement, as it has protected land connected to both the Limpopo transfrontier park (Gonarhezou national park) and the KAZA transfrontier park (Hwange National Park), which means that even if all leopards in Zimbabwe were to be killed, they would likely continue to enter.

Other destinations include

  • Mana Pools National Park
  • Matusadona National Park

Leopards are scattered throughout Mozambique, but they are locally extinct in areas with a lot of development. In 1988 a study estimated the size of the leopard population at over 37000. If this was accurate, it has not stayed this high. The fact that there is so little information about surveys is particularly suspicious, as much leopard hunting goes on within the country – it is quite possible that the hunting quotas are still being calculated on the basis of numbers vastly greater than they should be

Good places to see the leopard in Mozambique include:

  • Limpopo national park (a part of the Limpopo transfrontier park)
  • Gorongosa National Park
  •  Zinave National Park (the video above is of a scheme to reintroduce leopard into this park)
It should be noted, that both the second and third destination on this list, is places where leopards have been reintroduced in recent times.
  • Kafue national park: a hotspot in Zambia, though population estimates are hard to find
  • South Luangwa national park, a part of the Kaza transfrontier park is also thought to be good for leopards
  • Lower zambezi national park
  •  

Leopards are not uncommon in Malawi, though outside protected areas, they are less common. I have not found good video of the Leopard in Malawi, I may add one in the future.

  • Nyika National Park: thought to host the countries only viable population
  • Majete Wildlife Reserve: Leopards have been moved here, as an effort to restock the area (this started in 2011, before which no leopards had lived in the area for at lest 2 decades)
  • Mangochi Forest Reserve: while not known to host leopards, a camera trap has photographed an individual. Clearly it must have migrated into the area, but whether it will ever find a mate naturally (or indeed one get moved into the area, is anyones guess)

While the overall number of leopards are not clear (and there do not appear to be widely available population estimates, the places listed below are thought to still have good numbers of leopards.

    • Iona National Park
      A park that shares a border with Skeleton Coast National Park in Namibia. It’s home to a variety of animals, including leopards, cheetahs, and Angolan giraffes. 
    • Bicuar
      A region known for its wildlife, including leopards, African wild dogs, and spotted hyenas
    Having said all at the top, it is said, that it is likely that there are plenty of leopards, but it would be very hard to confirm this
     
     
     
 

Places in Tanzania which are recognized as having decent leopard populations include:

      • Serengeti National park                                        1000
      • Nyerere national park (formerly Selous)      4000  
      • Ruaha National park                                               4000
      • Ngorogoro and ecosystem                                 1000
Hunting areas are estimated at 300,000 square km, and Leopards are thought to live in these areas, but their density ranges from 0.1 to 30 per 100km  over this same area. This means that hunting zones can add anything from 300 leopards up to 9000. This gives Tanzania a leopard population somewhere in the range between 10,000 and 19,000. I mention this, because in other parts of Africa hunting blocks have been hired by those wanting to run photography safaris, as a result, it should be recognized that regular safaris by those who can afford them, are likely to increase the amount of land given over to preservation of a variety of species.
  • Massai mara: only around 30 resident Leopards in the area (this is considered as healthy for the reserve)
  • Tsavo is a huge and relatively healthy wilderness area, suggesting that there should be a relatively large leopard population, certainly hundreds perhaps more
  • Samburu, while not large, it is considered one of the best places to film Leopards
  • Amboselli: few Leopards within the park, but conservancies in the area are good.
  • Ol Pejete Conservancy hosts around 20 Leopards.
  • Other destinations include: Marsabit National Park, Nasolot National Park, Mwingi National Park, Kora National Park, Lewa Wildife Conservancy, Meru National Park, Mwea National Reserve, Bisanadi National Park and Simba Hills National Park
 
As recently as 1981, the leopard population of this country alone, was estimated at 12-18000. We hope to greatly increase the number of destinations we list, do add yours, we would love to help people find you. Click on list your wild place at the top of the home page (or Here). If anyone has better numbers for the Leopard in Kenya, do let me know

All studies suggest that leopards are common throughout the forests and savannahs of the DRC, though accurate estimates for how big this population is, are not easy to come by (and would likely have very wide error bars). Leopards, are very hard to view when in a rainforest ecosystem, which means that while there is likely a large and healthy leopard population, it is hard to actually view them as a tourist. The above video is taken from a camera trap, placed in the Okapi national park, a highly forested area.

The most reliable estimate is from 1987, when it was predicted that there was 4000 individuals. It is likely to have reduced since then, but how many there actually are is a big question, though more recent submissions, by hunting groups wanting a quota for leopards, suggested 2700, a significant fall of roughly 33% (though over the 37 years, this is lower than declines in other populations).

The above video, is a short documentary by a local man, both showing leopards in Uganda and giving information on where they are found.

Leopards are hard to see in Rwanda. Akagera national park is a savannah park, which hosts the big 5. It is estimated that just 15-20 leopards live within this park. Given that the park is a little over 1000 square km (400 square miles) leopards are by no means common even here.

Browsing around many pages about Rwanda, an alarming number claim that the leopard is extinct in the rest of the country. Given the fact that leopards are just as at home within rainforest as savannah (many suggest that leopard densities are the same across each habitat), and the fact that there are a variety of transfrontier conservations like the Virungas (and the Volcanoes national park across the border in Rwanda) exist, and that leopards are common in many of these reserves across the border, it seems hard to believe that there are not leopards living in the Rwanda forests. Never-the-less, it is also true, that humans are the apex predator, and that lions and other big cats like leopards, are well aware of this, and so generally steer clear of humans on foot (oddly, in many national parks, leopards can become very relaxed about people in cars, allowing (on occasion) a car to sit within mere meters)).

However, this clearly means that while leopards are found in forests, they will quite naturally not regularly be seen – the sound of humans walking carries far and wide, and gives the leopard time to disappear (and after all, leopards are the king of camouflage and therefore often only have to go a few meters into the undergrowth and freeze.

So what is the situation with leopard conservation in Rwanda? I will look out for news, and we hope to list articles that are relevant in the future, on these pages

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Leopards are found in a variety of habitats, including rainforests, savannas, deserts, and mountainous areas. They are one of the most adaptable wild cat species, but their distribution has decreased due to poaching and habitat loss. 

A leopard was reportedly seen pursuing a large western lowland gorilla in the Dzanga-Sangha Complex of Protected Areas, but was unable to catch it. Gorilla parts were found in leopard scat, which suggests that the leopard either killed or scavenged on the gorilla.

There are few videos of leopards in the republic of the Congo , so the video below is the only one I have been found. Click on the watch on youtube to be able to see it, before coming back here.

Leopards are found in rainforests living at densities similar to the highest in savannah ecosystems. Having said this, they are generally hard to view, as they hear humans long before humans can see, and are scared of humans (it is not natural behaviour for leopards to hunt humans though in places we are invading their spaces too much and changing this).

  • Batéké Plateau National Park
  • Ivindo National Park
  • Loango National Park

All three of these national parks have sizable populations of wild leopards, that are seen from time to time. However, the same rules apply as elsewhere – leopards are not apex predators, humans are which means that generally a leopards natural reaction to hearing leopards approaching, is to flee. Having said this, each of these national parks have areas of open land, either Bai or beaches (loango) which allows you to watch forest leopards out in the open (with luck, and forest leopards like all leopards are very wary).

Spotting leopards within equatorial guinea is very hard. This is because, despite there being a large number (they have even left the wild and started to live in suburbs in various places). Never-the-less, they are encountered, and more often than one might think.

Leopards are found throughout much of Cameroon, but as with other forest countries are rarely seen.

  • Campo Ma’an Conservation Area has seen the return of the leopard, after an absence of around 20 years. There are plans to put out many cameras, in order to try to keep an eye on these leopards as they return.

Leopards are thought to survive in all of south sudans reserves and national parks, however, they are shy and rarely see.

Leopards are thought to live in many of the countries reserves, though are little seen

Leopards are thought to still exist in the south of the country, in reserves which are close to reserves across the border. Whether these leopards are being left alone, or are regularly hunted is a different matter. It is likely that they are not encountered very regularly

Leopards are found in Ethiopia in a variety of habitats, including montane forests, semi-arid areas, and the Awash and Aledeghi regions:

Leopards in the highlands depend on the Afroalpine ecosystem’s montane forests.
Leopards can be found in the Harenna Forest, which is also home to melanistic leopards (black). They can also frequently seen in the Awash and Aledeghi regions.

Indian Leopard

The number of Indian leopards in the wild is a worryingly low number. Some places suggest around 9500, while others suggest 12,000-14,000 (remember that the area of India is 10% of Africa, so this is far better by area.

The Indian leopard is considered Vulnerable in India, Bhutan, and Nepal but Critically Endangered in Pakistan. The map to the right shows its current range.

We currently have no places listed to see this subspecies, but we hope to add some soon. Do list your site, if you run one (click here, or at the top of the page).

Below here, you will find any news that mention this species. Below that is a video of this species in the wild, and below that you will find any destinations that we have added, to help you plan your trip.

They have an estimated population of 13,874 within the huge country of India, though around 2/3 of these leopards live outside protected reserves, leaving them vulnerable to changes in attitudes, and often unavailable for tourists to see (though we hope in the long run, to change this with the use of “in the shadow of mankind” our section aimed at tourism for these animals) aiming to give them a financial value and therefore make it more likely that they will survive.

Protected areas within India, known to be good for leopards are listed below (we are eager to link with anyone working in these areas)

  • Jhalana Leopard Safari Park (known for its particularly large leopard population)
  • Jawai Leopard Reserve
  • Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Satpura National Park
  • Bandipur National Park
  • Nagarhole National Park
  • Nagarhole National Park
I hope to add more to this, in the future. Do help.

 

The documentary above comes from the national geographic channel though is fronted by Gordan Buchanan of BBC fame. It is unfortunately a fact that leopards can turn to eating humans, when there is not enough natural prey, or if they are given too little space (or indeed regularly meeting people as they invade its space). Unfortunately, all three is happening in many parts of India, and as such, there are places where leopards have started hunting humans. It is unfortunately, usually true, that once a big cat starts hunting humans, they will not stop. As such, what has often happened is either the animals in question are hunted down and killed (while a problem with small populations, if this does not happen, often the local human population will attempt to hunt and kill all of the population).

Leopards are thought to be widely spread in Nepal, though unfortunately, their population status and occupancy is poorly understood. I hope to add more destinations within the country, get in touch if you work in any.

  • Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park – a particularly good reserve in Nepal to see the leopard, as well as the red panda
Data has suggested, that as the tiger population of Nepal has improved, the leopards of Nepal, have been roaming outside reserves more often, and predating livestock. The documentary is that of a leopard living in a tiger reserve in Nepal.

Leopards can be found in deciduous and evergreen forests and as they are losing their habitats slowly due to human encroachment they can often be seen in conflict with humans in the fringe of their habitat.

They are more capable of surviving on small prey, given their solitary behaviour and their wildly varied size – meaning that studies have found that preys weight is generally between 10-15kg. This allows them to survive on small rodents and similar, and therefore to live in areas where larger predators like tigers, or pack hunters like wolves, which are also found within the country.

Perversely, while climate change is a large threat for snow leopards (as they generally need snow to survive) it is good for leopards, as it allows the leopard to expand its range further up the mountains, into what was once snow leopard territory.

The common leopard (so called, as it is not common in Pakistan) is thought to have a Pakistan population of between 100-200 within the countries boundaries. Thankfully, the leopard is part of a transboundary population, meaning that the whole leopard population is larger and therefore viable long-term.

The largest population of leopards in Pakistan is found in Ayubia National Park and adjoining areas of Galiyat and Abbotabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, located just north of the Margalla Hills (Galiyat also extends into parts of Punjab). These areas are close to the capital, and the leopard has been encountered in the suburbs of the large city.

Bangladesh does not have a viable leopard population, but there are occasional sightings in the forests of Sylhet, Chittagong Hill Tracts, and Cox’s Bazar. I hope to add this region the near future.

In southern Tibet, the Indian leopard was recorded in Qomolangma National Nature Preserve. It is unclear how many of this species lives in Southern Tibet, or the exact range of this animal within the country.

While they are known to be in the country, and are seen in various of the national parks and reserves from time to time, there is little known about the size of the population.

Javan Leopard

The Javan leopard is (unsurprisingly) a leopard subspecies that is restricted to the island of Java. Java has already lost the Javan tiger, and it is currently estimated to be between 188-571 (an incredibly wide range for an estimate). Unfortunately, Java is the most populous island in the world, and as such only 14% of the rainforest survive, which is where the leopard lives (habitat declined by 40% between 2000 and 2020 alone). As such, the future of this subspecies is not great – there is also little space for the population to increase.

Now, the sad fact, is that in being this fragmented, and the island having such a high population (largest human population for an island) even reserves that are close together may well be impossible to cross.

Should we be able to list any places to try to see this highly endangered species, they will be added lower down the page.


They can be found in the following national parks:

Gunung Halimun National Park

Ujung Kulon National Park

Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park

Ceremai National Park

Merbabu National Park

Merapi National Park

Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park

Meru Betiri National Park

Ijen Mountain

Baluran National Park

Alas Purwo National Park

Arabian Leopard

 In 2008, the size of this subspecies left in the wild was thought to be between 45 and 200. As such, it is perhaps not surprising that this subspecies has been critically endangered since 1996.

  • Around 50 survive in Oman, living in the mountain ranges of Jabal Samhan, Jabal Qara and Jabal Qamar.
  • Hajjah and Al Mahrah governorates in Yemen

The Negev desert is thought to have lost its last leopard around 2007 and Saudi Arabia (supporting 200 recently) maybe extinct. 

This unfortunately means that tourism around this species is not easy to come across. I will as always add it below if/when I find any. What is certainly true, is visiting areas which might still have a few of this rare leopard and making it clear you are interested in them, will give locals a reason to preserve what is left, though in many places it may well be too late.

Having said this, tourist looking for specific wild animals do encourage their preservation, so despite their rarity, should you be near a reserve within their range, it is well worth spending a day or two, searching for them with a camera, and supporting which tourism infrastructure exists in the area.

Persian or Caucasian Leopard

Caucasian (also called Persian) Leopard)                                                                                                               

Restricted to the Iranian Plateau and surrounding areas encompassing Türkiye, the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and possibly Pakistan.  

Other names include Anatolian leopard, Persian leopard, Caucasian leopard, Balochistan leopard and Asia Minor leopard

Status: endangered (since the 1960s) and currently has a population of around 1000 individuals. If this species is mentioned on this blog, any articles will appear below. Below that, is a video of this rare species, and below that, I will add any links that might help you see this species in the wild (should you work in wildlife guiding or tourism where this leopard is found do get in touch – click here .  As with other big cats, living in these animals shadow is not always easy, but I hope that over time, we can reach a point where the money coming in is good compensation for the complexities of living near animals like this.

The only place listed as good destinations to see this leopard subspecies is 

  • Golestan National Park

It does also mention the Iranian plateau, though this basically includes much of their range, and is far to vague to be useful in trying to find this animal in the wild.

Indo-Chinese Leopard

The Indo-Chinese leopard is found at latitudes similar to the Indian Leopard but is further east. They are rare outside protected areas, but at the current time, there is enough protected land to not threaten their long-term survival. On the Malay peninsular, the frequency of black (or melanistic) leopards can be as high as 1 in 2, in comparison to Africa, where as little as 1 in 1000 is born black. Indeed, this has meant that while white tigers are all closely related, and their coat makes their survival hard, there are no pockets of them in the wild. Even with the Amur tiger, they live without snow for more of the year than they have with it, so even here it is not a big advantage to have white fur. On the other hand, a black leopard can fade into the shadows, which means that for most leopards it is an advantage. In Africa, most of the time leopards spend their days sleeping high in a tree which means that it is only at night when they need camouflage, so you would think that being black would be advantageous to give birth to a black leopard dynasty in Africa, but apparently not.

 

 

There are a good range of reserves across where they are found, which means that provided they are not hunted, they should be able to survive into the future.

Some of the best places to see Indochinese leopards include:

  • Peninsular Malaysia: Considered a stronghold for Indochinese leopards
  • Northern Tenasserim Forest Complex: Located on the border of Thailand and Myanmar, this is considered a stronghold for Indochinese leopards
  • Eastern Cambodia: A priority site for Indochinese leopard conservation
  • Changqing National Nature Reserve: Located in the Qinling Mountains of southern China, this reserve is home to Indochinese leopards 
  • Thailand’s Western Forest Complex

Indochinese leopard has disappeared from 94% of its range They are now gone (extinct) in Singapore and functionally extinct (this means that while there may be a few leopards left, there are not enough to support the species long-term, and the last leopard will be gone in the next few years – whether this can be reversed by translocation is a possibility, though conservation in other parts of the range are probably more secure areas to do conservation work) in Laos and Vietnam. In Cambodia, the population is nearly extinct, and a 2021 study found no individuals.

 

The Indochinese leopard’s range has shrunk by more than 94%. They are now extinct in Singapore and functionally extinct in Laos and Vietnam. In Cambodia, the population is nearly extinct, and a 2021 study found no individuals. 

 Given, the few places where this leopard is found, I am not going to break it down into its range countries at this time, but will do so, if the number of destinations start to get high.

Sri Lankan Leopard

Only described in 1956, they are relatively similar to the Indian Leopard, and were thought to be part of that subspecies until then. There are only 800 of this subspecies of leopard, and they were listed as vulnerable in 2020, and unfortunately it is thought to still be declining. It is thought, that as a result of being the apex predator on the island, they have got bigger.

Melanistic leopards are considered particularly rare. Indeed it was only 2019 that the first confirmed in the wild in the country.

Places that are good for looking for the Javan Leopard include

  • Yala National Park: one of quite a number of reserves who claim to have the highest density of leoaprds in the world – but likely the place with the highest density of Javan leopards in the world. It is thought to have a population of 40-70 ( 979 square kilometres (378 sq mi), giving a density of 1 leopard per 5.4, while Sabi sands has a density of 1 in just over every 3 square miles
  • Wilpattu National Park
Frame from a camera trap in the Amur range

Amur (or Siberian) Leopard

Perhaps one of the hardiest leopard subspecies, it is hard to remember that this animal is incredibly similar to its cousin that roams the hot areas of the Savannahs in Africa.

What a short period of time makes for the standing for a species. Back in 2001 when planet earth was first released, they had managed to film them in the wild

What is more impressive is that at the time there were only 30 in the wild.  Setting out to find a secretive animal, when there are only 30 left is quite impressive.

Conservation has gone wonderfully in the time that has elapsed since, with an estimated population of at least 100. When I say at least, this is a likely low estimate. With a 2019 estimate of 46 of these cats in China, and a 2022 survey identifying 125 individuals. That gives an estimated combined population of 171, or almost 6 times increase in population over just 20 or so years. Russia set up the land of the leopard reserve, and the reserve below was set up by China, across the border.

The below video clip, is a video filmed in China which caught a female with 2 cubs in China, possibly the first cubs to be born in China in as long as 50 years.

There is an increasing quantity of ecotourism around this animal, and an increasing reliability of finding the cat in the wild, particularly as its population grows.

  • Land of the leopard national park: this lies in Russia, and protects most of the remaining range of this cat (within Russia), and extends to a little over 1000 square miles (2600 square km)
  • Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park: Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park is a national park in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces spanning over an area of 14,612 km2 (5,642 sq mi) in the southern part of the Changbai Mountains.
North- China Tiger

North China Leopard

Records from before 1930 suggest that this species of Leopard used to live near Beijing and in the mountains to the North-west. The wild population is estimated at around 110, so is one of the more endangered leopard species in the world. It is thought that this population and the Amur Leopard species were connected until just a few hundred years ago. As such, it may well be possible to boost genetic variability if that were to become necessary.

As with some of the other subspecies of the leopard, there appears to be little tourism centred around this species, but should I find any, this will appear at the bottom of the page as well. Above that, you will find our regular list of any articles on this subject and a video of this species in the wild. Please do get in touch to help with people finding your reserve if it protects this rare leopard.

Like many cats – both big and lesser cats, they have rare colourings. These are not separate species, instead they are either melanistic, or albino.

 These are not common in most ecosystems (though it should be noted that in places where the colouring might be useful, it can be common – one example is the black leopard in Malaysia which has around 50% black)

 

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