Atlas or Barbary leopard

[Luipaard]

More info regarding this population:

Algeria
Status: Possibly Present
Last Record: 2005 (Busby et al., 2009)


The leopard historically occurred along forested regions of the Mediterranean coastline and extended inland to the Tell and Saharan Atlas mountain ranges. Over a period of just ten years, between 1873 and 1884, more than 1,200 leopards were killed throughout Algeria. The leopard was hunted for skins and for the bounty provided by the colonial administration. The leopard declined rapidly under the intense hunting pressure, nearly went extinct, and has not recovered in the following decades.

The leopard may remain at very low numbers in the western Saharan Atlas Mountains and extend into Morocco. In 2007, Fabrice Cuzin reported a probable leopard presence near Figuig, Morocco and although unconfirmed reports continue there have been no confirmed sightings. The area is a military zone with restricted access, which has prevented access for detailed ecological surveys, but has also probably reduced poaching as large prey items such as Barbary sheep, and Dorcas and Cuvier’s gazelle remain. There is insufficient data to claim this population is extirpated although the population has likely been critically small for decades.

In 2005, Busby et al. (2009) identified a single leopard scat via genetic analysis from the Ahaggar massif of Algeria, the first confirmed report of leopard in Algeria in over 50 years. However, leopards were never known to be present here before (although it is possible they were at low densities and simply overlooked or confused with cheetah) and it is far from existing populations. More research to confirm the leopard in this region is needed. Prior to this, leopards were thought to be extinct in Algeria since the mid-20th century. The last confirmed evidence of leopards in Algeria prior to Busby et al. (2009) was a report of a leopard killed in the extreme northeast province of El Tarf near El Kala in 1960.


Morocco
Status: Possibly Extinct
Last Record: 1983 (Drucker, 1991)


Historically, the leopard occurred in Morocco's Mediterranean coastal regions and the Atlas Mountains, but by the 1950’s the only remaining population was located in the Mid- (between Fes and Beni Mellal) and High Atlas (region of Marrakech) Mountains, where a population of 50-100 individuals were thought to still reside. The population declined over the 1980’s and 1990’s due to trophy hunting, retaliatory killings, and perceived threats to livestock. Approximately 5-10 individuals were reported as “Morocco’s last remaining population” in 1984 in the Oued-el-Abid/Bou Tferda region of the High Atlas Mountains. 

The last confirmed killing of a leopard was a female at Idis, near Bou Tferda (Beni Mellal Province) in 1983. By 1996, the leopard population in the Atlas Mountains was estimated at no more than five individuals. Despite the small population, there continue to be reports of leopard around Bou Tferda into the 2000’s. In the Saharan Atlas Mountains, Fabrice Cuzin reported a probable record in 2007 on the Morocco-Algeria border near Figuig. However, the region near Figuig is a military area with limited access and no reliable living records have been seen since.

Tunisia
Status: Extinct
Last Record: NA


The few historical records available indicate that the leopard in Tunisia was restricted to the Tébessa Mountains, and previously forested regions in the northern part of the country. In 1961, they were thought to exist in the forests between Bizerta and Tabarka, and in the mountain scrub at Tamerza (Chapuis) but are suspected to have gone extinct before 1970.

-All info comes from 'Profiles for Leopard (Panthera pardus) Range Countries' Reply