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ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - D - THE LEOPARD (Panthera pardus)
ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - D - THE LEOPARD (Panthera pardus)
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ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - D - THE LEOPARD (Panthera pardus)
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Status of Common Leopard Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Kunjo VDC of Mustang District, Nepal Ghimirey, 2006
Abstract: "Common leopard Panthera pardus is one of the seven great cats found in the world and one of the most elusive too. The detail about the status of common leopard is not sufficiently known owing to very limited study on the species in the country. However, it is believed that the number of common leopard has significantly increased due to the success of the community forests in Nepal. This study was designed to find out the status of common leopard in Kunjo VDC of Mustang district. The field work of the study was carried out from 15th May 2006 to 29th May 2006. Altogether, eight transects were drawn representing different habitats of the study area, where the indirect signs of the species were recorded. Signs such as scrapes, scats and pugmarks were recorded within five meters of both sides of the transects. Scrapes as high as nine in number were recorded in the transect conducted at Palanga, giving a good indication of the presence of the species. Two different sets of pugmarks with different physical dimensions were also recorded in Pudhar kharka which indicated the presence of at least two leopards in the area. Total household survey was done to know the magnitude of livestock depredation caused by the leopard. The total annual monetary loss due to depredation came out to be NRs. 5,45,000, which is equivalent to US$ 7370.84. The depredation per household came out to be NRs. 3585.35 which is equivalent to US$ 48.49. The local people ranked common leopard as first predator in causing livestock depredation in the area hence creating the people-leopard conflict. It was also reported during the survey that in the past there used to be incidents of the leopards being killed directly by gun and by snaring or darjan before the area was included in ACAP. The fact that local people still consider the leopard as pest makes the conservation activities even more difficult in the area. Therefore, the conservation initiatives must be backed up by the needs and aspirations of the local people. The conservation programmes to be implemented must also address the problem of livestock depredation. This will help in gaining the support of the local people for the conservation of the leopard in the area."
The amazing story of the frozen leopard atop Mount Kilimanjaro
BY ETHAN SHAW JANUARY 26 2017 Recent sightings of common leopards crossing paths with snow leopards on the Tibetan Plateau got us thinking about what’s probably the most famous high-elevation spotted cat in the history books. Ernest Hemingway opens his 1936 short story "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" by mentioning a leopard carcass up near the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, at 19,341 feet the tallest mountain in Africa: "Close to the western summit there is the dried and frozen carcass of a leopard. No one has explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude." Image: John Reader/Science Photo Library  *This image is copyright of its original author The short story may be a piece of fiction, but Hemingway's reference isn't. In 1926, a Lutheran pastor named Richard Reusch, who made multiple climbs up Kilimanjaro, did indeed discover a "freeze-dried" leopard at roughly 18,500 feet along the crater rim of the volcano's loftiest sub-peak, Kibo. A photo of the find shows the dead animal looking about as you'd expect after chilling (so to speak) on a mountaintop snowfield for who knows how long. Reusch suspected the leopard had died in pursuit of a goat, the remains of which he also found a few hundred feet away. Returning to the contorted mummy the next year, Reusch lopped off an ear for souvenir purposes. At some point or another, the corpse disappeared, but given the Hemingway shout-out, it's about as immortalised as a popsicled wild animal could be. (The general location of the carcass now holds the unofficial label of "Leopard Point".) Interestingly, this isn't the only time a crazy-looking leopard carcass has greeted trekkers in the thin air of an East African volcano. In 1997, researchers studying Mount Kenya's shrivelling icefields found a more decayed leopard – "skeletal material, spotted skin and whiskers" – being ejected from the nose of the Tyndall Glacier. The unfortunate feline had clocked some major postmortem hours in its glazed-over tomb: radiocarbon dating suggested the remains were some 900 years old, give or take. The leopard remains discovered on the Tyndall Glacier in 1997. Images: Kazuharu Mizuno  *This image is copyright of its original author Large mammals aren't exactly common sights on Mount Kilimanjaro's upper slopes these days, but leopards do show up from time to time. Sightings and tracks reveal the cats sometimes cruise up beyond the montane rainforest to prowl the volcano's high moorlands and bleak alpine barrens. Lions are much rarer on Kilimanjaro, but they've been seen as high as 14,100 feet. Most astonishing of all, a pack of five African wild dogs – like Hemingway’s leopard, apparently disposed to mountaineering – was spotted at the summit in 1962: the only non-human mammals ever recorded at the very top.
Home ranges, activity patterns and habitat preferences of leopards in Luambe National Park and adjacent Game Management Area in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia Ray-Brambach, Stommel & Rödder, 2017
Abstract: "Leopard (Panthera pardus) populations are declining worldwide. There are limited data on leopard ecology, especially activity patterns and habitat use, but these are vital to facilitate their conservation. In Zambia we radio tracked two female and three male leopards to study home range sizes, activity patterns and habitat preferences in Luambe National Park (LNP), and an adjacent Game Management Area used for trophy hunting. Home range sizes (MCP 95%) comprised 28.3–55.7 km2 for males and 3.1–42,3 km2 for females; Kernel densities (50%; 95%) were 32.5 − 80.6 km2 for males and 3.0–23,0 km2 for females. The home range for one female shrank during motherhood. Analysis of habitat use and activity patterns of leopards revealed sex-specific differences. Males showed a higher mobility than females. During 24-hour observations all individuals showed a minimum mobility during noon hours and maximum mobility before sunrise and sunset. Analyses of habitat preferences using the Jacob-Index and R package adehabitatHS showed that leopards prefer denser vegetation types and rather avoid grassland. These findings should be taken into account in conservation decisions, for example in the granting of trophy hunting activities."
Extremely interesting data, a Barbary Leopard hunted on Atlas Mountains in Morocco, with weight and measurements. Unfortunately, i don't find the year.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
@Ngala @Polar :
About #124: I translate without any comments... Title: "A Middle Atlas panther shot by a meknassi hunter". Meknes, 2th december: A meknassi hunter (an hunter from Meknes) shot a panther in the Middle Atlas. During a boar hunting the animal has been shot. Three boars had been already shooting for the morning by a group of hunters. As the sun was still high, a new trap was decided in order to realize (to kill) a 4th beast, that it will make up a ????( a complete, but it has no sense). Whereas he was lying in wait, Mr Emmanuel Patounas, schoolmaster at the Moulay Ismael highscool of Meknes, suddendly saw a beautiful panther appearing in front of him. After a bit of a scare he shot the animal which slumped forward before being attacked by the dogs. During the fight 2 dogs were wounded. The beast had to be finished off (killed), a really beautiful panther: 2m25 length, 0m75 high, weighing 70 kilos. The reader reaction: " For the dogs, it's a joke. The one that hurts (the panther) is the one that holds the beast, the killer the one that holds the mouth, and your servant the one that holds the paw. Laurent and Jeannot (?) were in the game as you can see (notice) it".
Thank you a lot @Spalea, very kind.
I searched on web, Emmanuel Patounas is a french hunter. The article is probably from 1968. Another photo of the leopard hunted (from Dafina.net):  *This image is copyright of its original author
Leopards provide public health benefits in Mumbai, India Braczkowski et al., 2018
Abstract: "Populations of large carnivores are often suppressed in human‐dominated landscapes because they can kill or injure people and domestic animals. However, carnivores can also provide beneficial services to human societies, even in urban environments. We examined the services provided by leopards (Panthera pardus) to the residents of Mumbai, India, one of the world's largest cities. We suggest that by preying on stray dogs, leopards reduce the number of people bitten by dogs, the risk of rabies transmission, and the costs associated with dog sterilization and management. Under one set of assumptions, the presence of leopards in this highly urbanized area could save up to 90 human lives per year. A further indirect benefit of leopard presence may be an increase in local abundance of other wildlife species that would otherwise be predated by dogs. The effective conservation of carnivores in human‐dominated landscapes involves difficult trade‐offs between human safety and conservation concerns. Quantitative assessments of how large carnivores negatively and positively affect urban ecosystems are critical, along with improved education of local communities about large carnivores and their impacts."
Anchoring and adjusting amidst humans: Ranging behavior of Persian leopards along the Iran-Turkmenistan borderland Farhadinia et al., 2018
Abstract: "Understanding the space use and movement ecology of apex predators, particularly in mosaic landscapes encompassing different land-uses, is fundamental for formulating effective conservation policy. The top extant big cat in the Middle East and the Caucasus, the Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor, has disappeared from most of its historic range. Its spatial ecology in the areas where it remains is almost unknown. Between September 2014 and May 2017, we collared and monitored six adult leopards (5 males and 1 female) using GPS-satellite Iridium transmitters in Tandoureh National Park (355 km2) along the Iran-Turkmenistan borderland. Using auto-correlated Kernel density estimation based on a continuous-time stochastic process for relocation data, we estimated a mean home range of 103.4 ± SE 51.8 km2 for resident males which is larger than has been observed in other studies of Asian leopards. Most predation events occurred in core areas, averaging 32.4 ± SE 12.7 km2. Although neighboring leopards showed high spatiotemporal overlap, their hunting areas were largely exclusive. Five out of six of leopards spent some time outside the national park, among human communities. Our study suggests that a national park can play an ‘anchoring’ role for individuals of an apex predator that spend some time in the surrounding human-dominated landscapes. Therefore, we envisage that instead of emphasizing either land sharing or land sparing, a combined approach can secure the viability of resilient large carnivores that are able to coexist with humans in the rugged montane landscapes of west and central Asia." 
https://t.co/wFUCKhuNOD Leopard Sisters Mating With the Same Male
 This subspecies of leopard which was thought to be extinct was caught on camera on the show extinct or alive   |
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