South Africa: not a single leopard will be killed in 2016

Environment · Lorenzo Brenna · 2016-03-15

After decades of killings, the African nation has banned leopard hunting for the whole of 2016, citing scientific grounds.

Perhaps Cecil the lion did not die in vain. Around eight months after the death of the most famous lion in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, killed by American dentist Walter Palmer, South Africa has decided to ban leopard (Panthera pardus) hunting for the whole of 2016, thanks in part to the widespread public outcry that followed Cecil's killing.

Leopardo nella savana — It is estimated that only 50,000 leopards remain in the wild. Counting these elusive predators is, however, no easy task

"Provincial nature conservation authorities have been informed that the hunting of leopards will not be permitted in 2016," declared South Africa's Minister of the Environment. The leopard is one of the so-called "Big Five" — the five great animals of the savanna, which also include the elephant, lion, rhinoceros and buffalo. The expression originates in the world of safari hunting and refers to the five most coveted trophies among hunters.

This year, however, for the first time after decades of indiscriminate hunting, wealthy Western hunters will not be able to kill a single leopard: the South African National Biodiversity Institute has called for a halt to hunting of this species because the size of the wild leopard population is not clearly known.

Paesaggio sudafricano — The South African government has banned leopard hunting for the whole of 2016

"There is uncertainty around the count," explained John Donaldson, director of the institute. "This is not a permanent ban, but we need to carry out more thorough assessments before deciding on the quotas to be allocated for safaris." Despite its size, the leopard is an elusive and mysterious animal — predominantly nocturnal — and monitoring its population is therefore difficult.

Big-game hunting is a highly lucrative activity in South Africa, generating a turnover of around 410 million dollars a year; the decision to suspend leopard hunting has been met with disapproval by the South African Professional Hunters' Association. The African country issues up to 150 leopard hunting licences each year; once killed, the animal is dismembered or skinned to produce trophies destined for export.

Leopardo sudafricano — The leopard is, much to its misfortune, one of the five animals most coveted by hunters, alongside the elephant, lion, buffalo and rhinoceros.

This year, however, no leopard need worry about some wealthy American or European who has decided to fly across the ocean and spend around 20,000 dollars simply to take the life — in a wholly unequal contest — of one of the most beautiful animals nature has ever shaped.