London: Leopards, one of the world’s most iconic big cats, have lost 75 per cent of their historic range, with habitats across Asia plummeting by nearly 98 per cent, the first global analysis of the elusive animal has found.
The research found that leopards (Panthera pardus) historically occupied a vast range of approximately 35 million square km throughout Africa, the Middle East and Asia. However, today they are restricted to approximately 8.5 million square km, the researchers said.
Scientists, including those from National Geographic Society’s Big Cats Initiative, reviewed more than 1,300 sources on the leopard’s historic and current range. The results show that, while the entire species is not yet as threatened as some other big cats, leopards are facing a multitude of growing threats in the wild, and three subspecies have already been almost completely eradicated.
“The leopard is a famously elusive animal, which is likely why it has taken so long to recognise its global decline,” said lead author Andrew Jacobson, of Zoological Society of London (ZSL). “This study represents the first of its kind to assess the status of the leopard across the globe and all nine subspecies,” said Jacobson.
The research also found that while African leopards face considerable threats, particularly in North and West Africa, leopards have also almost completely disappeared from several regions across Asia, including much of the Arabian Peninsula and vast areas of former range in China and Southeast Asia. PTI