Six leopards are poached for every tiger that is killed. Leopard skins are in great demand in China. Their bones are also often passed off as tiger cub bones. Leopards are also involved in a lot of man-animal conflicts and are often killed with brutality for straying into human habitations.
In 2010, 180 leopards were killed through poaching whereas the total number killed stands at 328. In the first six months of 2011, there have already been 79 poaching related deaths and 90 deaths where the animals have strayed into human settlements. Leopards are more vulnerable as they live in the fringes of the forest, around human settlements and especially near agricultural areas. Leopards are also more open to killing domestic animals for food. As the leopards habitat is being fragmented, they tend to live in and around cropland and tea plantations.
CI is a non-profit, non-commercial portal that aims to facilitate wildlife and nature conservation by providing reliable information and the tools needed to campaign effectively.
