Zanzibar leopard

Last updated
Zanzibar leopard
Zanzibar Leopard 2.JPG
Mounted specimen in the Zanzibar Museum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
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]

Contents

Taxonomy

The Zanzibar leopard was described as a leopard subspecies by Reginald Innes Pocock, who proposed the scientific name Panthera pardus adersi in 1932. [6] Following molecular genetic analysis of leopard samples, it was subsumed to the African leopard (P. p. pardus) in 1996. [7] [8] However, some authors continue to use P. p. adersi. [9]

Evolutionary history

The Zanzibar leopard population is thought to have evolved in isolation from mainland African leopards since at least the end of the Last Ice Age, when the island was separated from mainland Tanzania by rising sea levels. The founder effect and adaptation to local conditions produced a smaller leopard than its continental relatives, and one whose rosettes have partially disintegrated into spots. [10] [11] However, despite these visible differences from the mainland populations, the genetic differentiation of this population is much less than is seen for the populations presently treated as genuine subspecies, all of which occur outside of Africa; as such, all of the African populations of leopards are considered to belong to a single subspecies, including the population on Zanzibar. [7]

Behaviour and ecology

Very little is known about the Zanzibar leopard's behaviour and ecology. [12] It has never been studied in the wild, and the last confirmed sighting of a living leopard was in the early 1980s. [13] Most zoologists have since presumed the Zanzibar leopard to be extinct or very nearly so. [3]

Only six skins were deposited at museums, including the type specimen of P. p. adersi in the Natural History Museum, London, and a much-faded mounted specimen in the Zanzibar Museum. [2] However, Zanzibar government statistics indicate that leopards were still being killed by hunters in the mid-1990s, and islanders continue to report sightings and livestock predation. [1]

Conservation

Descriptions of the leopard and its habits by rural Zanzibaris are characterized by the widespread belief that witches keep leopards and send them to harm or harass villagers. This belief includes elaborate ideas about how witches breed and train leopards to do their evil bidding. With these ideas, local farmers explain predation by leopards, and more generally also their appearance "out of place" in the vicinity of farms and villages. [14]

The growth of human population and agriculture in the 20th century was largely responsible for this state of affairs, as people encroached on leopard habitat and prey base. Increasing conflict between humans and leopards led to a series of campaigns to exterminate the latter. These campaigns were localized at first, but became island-wide after the Zanzibar Revolution of 1964, when a combined anti-witchcraft and leopard-killing campaign was launched under the leadership of a witchfinder. [15] The long-term result of this campaign and the subsequent classification of the leopard as "vermin" brought the leopard population to the brink of extinction. [12] However, alleged leopard sightings are still being reported, and islanders believe that the Zanzibar leopard is still alive. [16] By the mid-1990s, the Zanzibar leopard population was considered extinct. [17] In 1997 and 2001, rumors circulated about the discovery of leopard scat, but both samples were lost before they could be analyzed. [5]

A leopard conservation program was drafted by the CARE-funded Jozani-Chwaka Bay Conservation Project, but abandoned in 1997 when wildlife researchers failed to find evidence for the leopard. Local wildlife officials, however, remained more optimistic about the leopard's survival, and some Zanzibaris have proposed approaching alleged leopard keepers in order to ask them to display their leopards to paying visitors. Villagers sometimes offer to take tourists or researchers to see "domesticated" leopards in return for cash, but so far none of these "kept leopard chases" has been known to end in a successful sighting. [13] [18] [19]

These conflicting perceptions of the Zanzibar leopard's status and the possibility of its conservation have yet to be reconciled, presenting a dilemma that has been highlighted by researchers. [20] [21] [22] [23]

In 2018, a leopard was recorded on Unguja Island by a camera trap set during filming of the Animal Planet series Extinct or Alive . Some authorities do not consider this video to be reliable evidence due to the exact locality of the video being unknown, and few reliable sources have picked up on it. However, its author (Forrest Galante) has defended its authenticity. Although the footage definitely shows a leopard, the exact pattern of rosettes remains unclear, and it could be a feral African leopard introduced to Zanzibar. DNA evidence may be the only way to verify this video. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leopard</span> Species of cat native to Africa and Asia

The leopard is one of the five extant cat species in the genus Panthera. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of 92–183 cm (36–72 in) with a 66–102 cm (26–40 in) long tail and a shoulder height of 60–70 cm (24–28 in). Males typically weigh 30.9–72 kg (68–159 lb), and females 20.5–43 kg (45–95 lb).

Panthera is a genus within the family Felidae, and one of two extant genera in the subfamily Pantherinae. It contains the largest living members of the cat family. There are five living species: the jaguar, leopard, lion, snow leopard and tiger. Numerous extinct species are also named, including the cave lion and American lion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanzibar red colobus</span> Species of Old World monkey

The Zanzibar red colobus is a species of red colobus monkey endemic to Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, off the coast of Tanzania. It is also known as Kirk's red colobus after Sir John Kirk, the British Resident of Zanzibar who first brought it to the attention of zoological science. It is now classified as an endangered species and in the mid-1990s was adopted as the flagship species for conservation in Zanzibar. The population is still decreasing, and conservationists are attempting to work with the local government to devise a proper, effective strategy to protect the population and habitat. Challenges include the species' habitat, which is limited to the archipelago. The species has been reclassified three times; it was previously in the genus Colobus, then in the genus Procolobus, and later in the genus Piliocolobus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unguja South Region</span> Region of Tanzania

Unguja South Region, Zanzibar South Region or South Zanzibar Region is one of the 31 regions of Tanzania. The region covers an area of 854 km2 (330 sq mi). The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Kiribati. and the administrative region is located entirely on the island of Zanzibar. Unguja South Region is bordered on three sides to the south by Indian Ocean, northeast by Unguja North Region and northwest by Mjini Magharibi Region. The regional capital is the town of Koani. Besides being known for its Spinner dolphin populations, the region is also home to the oldest mosque in East Africa, the Kizimkazi Mosque and also historic Makunduchi town. The region has the fourth highest HDI in the country, making one of the most developed regions in the country. According to the 2022 census, the region has a total population of 195,873.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menai Bay</span> Coastal bay in Tanzania


Menai Bay is a bay in Mkinga District of Mjini Magharibi Region of Tanzania. The bay is geographically part of the Zanzibar Archipelago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African leopard</span> Leopard subspecies

The African leopard is the nominate subspecies of the leopard, native to many countries in Africa. It is widely distributed in most of sub-Saharan Africa, but the historical range has been fragmented in the course of habitat conversion. Leopards have also been recorded in North Africa as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Servaline genet</span> Species of carnivore

The servaline genet is a genet species native to Central Africa. As it is widely distributed and considered common, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabian leopard</span> Subspecies of mammals

The Arabian leopard is the smallest leopard subspecies. It was described in 1830 and is native to the Arabian Peninsula, where it was widely distributed in rugged hilly and montane terrain until the late 1970s. Today, the population is severely fragmented and thought to decline continuously. In 2008, an estimated 45–200 individuals in three isolated subpopulations were restricted to western Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen. However, as of 2023, it is estimated that 100–120 in total remain, with 70-84 mature individuals, in Oman and Yemen, and it is possibly extinct in Saudi Arabia. The current population trend is suspected to be decreasing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unguja</span> Tanzanian island of the Zanzibar Archipelago

Unguja is the largest and most populated island of the Zanzibar archipelago, in Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lankan leopard</span> Leopard subspecies

The Sri Lankan leopard is a leopard subspecies native to Sri Lanka. It was first described in 1956 by Sri Lankan zoologist Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian leopard</span> Leopard subspecies

The Indian leopard is a subspecies of the leopard. It is widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. It is threatened by illegal trade of skins and body parts, and persecution due to human-leopard conflict and retaliation for livestock depredation.

The Zanzibar servaline genet is a recently discovered subspecies of servaline genet endemic to Unguja Island in the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar. Its conservation status is uncertain.

<i>Panthera pardus tulliana</i> Leopard subspecies

Panthera pardus tulliana, also called Persian leopard,Anatolian leopard, and Caucasian leopard in different parts of its range, is a leopard subspecies that was first described in 1856 based on a zoological specimen found in western Anatolia. It is native to the Iranian Plateau and the surrounding region from eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus to the Hindu Kush, where it inhabits foremost subalpine meadows, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and rugged ravines at elevations of 600 to 3,800 m. It preys mostly on ungulates reliant on these habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javan leopard</span> Subspecies of leopard

The Javan leopard is a leopard subspecies confined to the Indonesian island of Java. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2021. The population is estimated at 188–571 mature individuals in 22 fragmented subpopulations and a declining population trend. The total remaining habitat is estimated at only 2,267.9 to 3,277.3 km2.

Chwaka is a town on the Tanzanian island of Unguja, part of Zanzibar. It is located on the east coast of the island, due east of the capital Zanzibar City, on the coast of Chwaka Bay close to the edge of Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park.

Jendele is a village on the Tanzanian island of Unguja, part of Zanzibar. It is located in the centre of the island, on the main route between Zanzibar City and Chwaka, to the north of the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park</span> National Park of Tanzania

The Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park is a national park in Tanzania, with the IUCN category II and UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme located within Kusini District of the South Zanzibar Region of Tanzania. It is the only national park in Zanzibar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amur leopard</span> Subspecies of large cat

The Amur leopard is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and northern China. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as in 2007, only 19–26 wild leopards were estimated to survive in southeastern Russia and northeastern China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indochinese leopard</span> Leopard subspecies

The Indochinese leopard is a leopard subspecies native to mainland Southeast Asia and southern China. In Indochina, leopards are rare outside protected areas and threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation as well as poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. In 2016, the population was previously thought to comprise 973–2,503 mature individuals, with only 409–1,051 breeding adults. The historical range had decreased by more than 90%. However, as of 2019, it is estimated that there are 77-766 mature Indochinese leopards and that their numbers are decreasing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Zanzibar</span> Flora and fauna of Zanzibar

The wildlife of Zanzibar consists of terrestrial and marine flora and fauna in the archipelago of Zanzibar, an autonomous region of Tanzania. Its floral vegetation is categorized among the coastal forests of eastern Africa as the Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic and the Northern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic. Its faunal species are mostly small animals, birds, and butterflies.

References

  1. 1 2 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. 1 2 Walsh, M. T. & Goldman, H. V. (2008). "Updating the Inventory of Zanzibar Leopard Specimens". Cat News. 49: 4–6.
  3. 1 2 Stuart, C. & Stuart, T. (1997). A Preliminary Faunal Survey of South-eastern Unguja (Zanzibar) with Special Emphasis on the Leopard Panthera pardus adersi. Loxton, South Africa: African-Arabian Wildlife Research Centre.
  4. 1 2 Li, J. (2018). "Zanzibar Leopard Captured on Camera, Despite Being Declared Extinct". Inside Edition . Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  5. 1 2 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.
  6. ↑ Pocock, R. I. (1932). "The Leopards of Africa". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 102 (2): 543–591. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1932.tb01085.x.
  7. 1 2 Miththapala, S.; Seidensticker, J. & O'Brien, S. J. (1996). "Phylogeographic Subspecies Recognition in Leopards (P. pardus): Molecular Genetic Variation". Conservation Biology. 10 (4): 1115–1132. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10041115.x.
  8. ↑ Uphyrkina, O.; Johnson, E.W.; Quigley, H.; Miquelle, D.; Marker, L.; Bush, M. & O'Brien, S. J. (2001). "Phylogenetics, genome diversity and origin of modern leopard, Panthera pardus" (PDF). Molecular Ecology. 10 (11): 2617–2633. Bibcode:2001MolEc..10.2617U. doi:10.1046/j.0962-1083.2001.01350.x. PMID   11883877. S2CID   304770. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
  9. ↑ Goldman, H.V. & Walsh, M.T. (2019). "Classifying, Domesticating and Extirpating the Zanzibar Leopard, a Transgressive Felid". Norsk Antropologisk Tidsskrift: 205–219.
  10. ↑ Pakenham, R.H.W. (1984). The Mammals of Zanzibar and Pemba Islands. Harpenden: Pakenham.
  11. ↑ Kingdon, J. (1989). Island Africa: The Evolution of Africa's Rare Animals and Plants. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  12. 1 2 Walsh, M. T. & Goldman, H. V. (2003). "The Zanzibar Leopard Between Science and Cryptozoology". Nature East Africa. 33 (1/2): 14–16.
  13. 1 2 Swai, I. S. (1983). Wildlife Conservation Status in Zanzibar (M.Sc. dissertation). Dar es Salaam: University of Dar es Salaam.
  14. ↑ Goldman, H. V. & Walsh, M.T. (1997). A Leopard in Jeopardy: An Anthropological Survey of Practices and Beliefs which Threaten the Survival of the Zanzibar Leopard (Panthera pardus adersi) (Report). Zanzibar Forestry Technical Paper No. 63, Jozani-Chwaka Bay Conservation Project. Commission for Natural Resources, Zanzibar. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  15. ↑ Walsh, M.T.; Goldman, H.V. (2007). "Killing the King: The Demonization and Extermination of the Zanzibar Leopard". In Dounias, E.; Motte-Florac, E.; Dunham, M. (eds.). Le symbolisme des animaux: L'animal, clef de voûte de la relation entre l'homme et la nature? [Animal symbolism: Animals, keystone of the relationship between man and nature?]. Paris: Éditions de l’IRD. pp. 1133–1182.
  16. ↑ Walsh, M. & Goldman, H. (2012). "Chasing imaginary leopards: Science, witchcraft and the politics of conservation in Zanzibar". Journal of Eastern African Studies. 6 (4): 727–746. doi:10.1080/17531055.2012.729778. S2CID   143598792.
  17. ↑ Nowell, K. & Jackson, P. (1996). "Leopard Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758)" (PDF). Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group. pp. 44–47.
  18. ↑ Marshall, S. (1994). The Status of the Zanzibar Leopard. SIT Tanzania & Commission for Natural Resources, Zanzibar.
  19. ↑ Selkow, B. (1995). A Survey of Villager Perceptions of the Zanzibar Leopard. SIT Tanzania & Commission for Natural Resources, Zanzibar.
  20. ↑ Goldman, H.V. & Walsh, M.T. (2007). Human-Wildlife Conflict, Unequal Knowledge and the Failure to Conserve the Zanzibar Leopard (Panthera pardus adersi). Felid Biology and Conservation Conference, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, 17–21 September 2007. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  21. ↑ Goldman, H.V. & Walsh, M.T. (2008). When Culture Threatens the Conservation of Biological Diversity: The Tragic Case of the Zanzibar Leopard (Panthera pardus adersi). Sustaining Cultural and Biological Diversity in a Rapidly Changing World: Lessons for Global Policy, Thirteenth Annual Symposium of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, 2–5 April 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  22. ↑ Walsh, M.T.; Goldman, H.V. (2012). "Chasing Imaginary Leopards: Science, Witchcraft and the Politics of Conservation in Zanzibar". Journal of Eastern African Studies. 6 (4): 727–746. doi:10.1080/17531055.2012.729778. S2CID   143598792.
  23. ↑ Walsh, M.T.; Goldman, H.V. (2017). "Cryptids and credulity: The Zanzibar leopard and other imaginary beings". In Hunt, S. (ed.). Anthropology and Cryptozoology: Exploring Encounters with Mysterious Creatures. London: Taylor & Francis. pp. 54–90. doi:10.4324/9781315567297. ISBN   9781315567297.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.