Panthera pardus ssp. adersi (Zanzibar Leopard)

[sebbe67]

Hello everyone

I have found very litle information about the Zanzibar subspecies of leopard which i know lived or live on the island of Zanzibar outside the Tanzania coast there is differnet fact on most websites some say that it is extinct and some says that about 50 are left so i wonder which of those is true. I was on Zanzibar about 3 years ago and there I heard that the species still was living there so i wonder if that can be true. So if anyone has some more information on this subspecies I would be very happy.

[Melanie]

As far as i know there are two subspecies of the leopard in Zanzibar. Panthera pardus adersi which is believed extinct and Panthera pardus tenius which is rarely seen (but not photographed so far) in Southern Unguja.

Source: www.allaboutzanzibar.com/indepth/ecology/02-landecology/id-02-02-animallist.htm

ZANZIBAR LEOPARD
Zanzibar leopard (Panthera pardusi adersi) is the largest land animal in the islands of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is believed to have drifted from the mainland (Africa) for at least 10,000 years ago. A number of the Island's mammalian fauna are endemic subspecies found in the main continent as result of this isolation (Goldman and Walsh 1997). Zanzibar leopard constitute a pocket of genetic diversity that, once lost, cannot be recovered. It is a unique sub species that has evolved morphological differences from leopards elsewhere in the world (JCBCP).

According to Goldman and Walsh (1997) the reports of leopard sightings span the years 1990 to 1996 along the north coast of island (Nungwi South to Chwaka). Leopard appear to be concentrated in he central – western and southern region of Unguja island where the forest is heavy with natural vegetation.

Before 1960s, the population of these animals was high whereby sightings were reported in different areas. Currently it is extremely difficult to find one. Technically, it is believed that the animal has already disappears on the earth although villagers keeps on insisting that the animal is still there.

Research findings on the Zanzibar leopard differs. For instance, Goldman and Walsh 1997 suggested that “the leopard population in Unguja has probably already dropped well below its ability to sustain in the long term especially with no active efforts on our part to conserve it”

Why leopards disappeared?
Hunting. In Zanzibar hunting is a tradition business. Among the most wanted species are antelopes, bush pig, monkeys and leopards. During the years mid 60s to early 70s many leopards were killed. However, there is no proper record which can exactly tell how many leopards were killed, by hunters. Nevertheless, experienced people suggested a figure >150 animal were killed. The last animal to be killed and witnesses by Zanzibar town inhabitants was in 1985, as the dead body was exposed to the public at the David Livingstone House pitch.
Habitat destruction. Due to habitat destruction, leopards miss Shelter and thus exposed to hunters.
Witchcraft. In the years between mid 60s to early 70s, many leopards were killed in the so called Kitanzi campaign. Kitanzi was a well known local witchcraft men who helped the government officials in identifying people who keep leopards. He helped in catching and killing all the leopards that were believed to be used in witch-crafting. It is believed that more than 150 leopards were killed in this campaign.
Attack to animals and human beings. Many leopards were killed because they were attacking domestic animals such as goats, cows and poultry. There were also some few reported cases where leopards attacked human beings.
Conservation measures
Law enforcement. Leopards are in appendix I of protected animals in the Zanzibar forestry legislation.
Studies. Several studies have been done to know whether the species is still present or have gone extinct. Unfortunately no study has come with positive results, and thus, this make the conservation efforts to be uncertain.
Witch crafting and beliefs. The animal was being killed in 1960s because there were some beliefs among Zanzibari community that it was being domesticated and used by witches. Among other reasons leopard keepers used to terrorise people and so as to get recognition. Because of that it has been extremely difficulty to tell many Zanzibari people to conserve it. Those whose are willing to conserve it are still worried of the government that they might be felt witches. Yet, it is believed that there is good number of witches who keeps leopards in several villages. Walsh and Goldman 1997 suggested that these kept leopard are deployed by their owners to achieve a number of objectives such as to terrorise people, to obtain food for the keeper, to guard the owner's wealth, to guard Livestock and breed so that the offspring may be sold for profit.

Source: www.gbf.ch/Session_Administration/upload/Yussuf%20Kombo,%20Tanzania%20-%20paper.doc

[sebbe67]

ohhh thank you very much

that was very nice informormation.

[kisutu]

The Zanzibar Leopard, known only from Unguja island and nearby islets, is generally treated as a distinct form and given subspecific status (Panthera pardus adersi). Reports of the existence of other kinds are based on local classifications of the leopard which refer to variations in size, shape, and coat colour and pattern. Information on the leopard’s status can be found in the following report and publications, based on research we have been conducting since the mid-1990s:

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), Zanzibar Forestry Technical Paper No.63, Jozani Chwaka Bay Conservation Project, Commission for Natural Resources, Zanzibar.

Goldman. H. V. & Walsh, M. T. 2002. ‘Is the Zanzibar Leopard (Panthera pardus adersi) Extinct?’, Journal of East African Natural History, 91: 15-25 [with map in the 2003 issue of JEANH, 92 (1/2): 4].

Walsh, M. T. & Goldman, H. V. 2003. ‘The Zanzibar Leopard between Science and Cryptozoology’, Nature East Africa, 33 (1/2): 14-16.

Walsh, M. T. & Goldman, H. V. 2004. ‘The Zanzibar Leopard – Dead or Alive?’, Tanzanian Affairs, 77: 20-23 [an abridged version of Walsh and Goldman 2003].

Copies of these may be obtained by writing to us at the hotmail.com address “kisutu” (without quotes). Further papers on the Zanzibar Leopard and its role in witchcraft beliefs are currently in press and in preparation. We do not suggest that “kept leopard are deployed by their owners to achieve a number of objectives”: on the contrary we argue that there is no reliable evidence for leopard-keeping by alleged witches or indeed other persons in Zanzibar. These beliefs do, however, mean that many Zanzibaris are convinced that the Zanzibar Leopard continues to thrive.

Martin T. Walsh and Helle V. Goldman

[another specialist]

MHA005548A
ZANZIBAR LEOPARD

A photo of a stuffed museum specimen


www.nhpa.co.uk/photokeywords1.html

search the above images on this website use the image numbers

[another specialist]

[another specialist]

lynx.uio.no/catfolk/cnissues/downloads/pdf/issue-27.pdf

you will find a section called no sign of the zanzibar leopard very interesting worth a look....

[lenny]

This is just ANOTHER mysterious subspecies of the leopard.

Panthera pardus adersi which is believed extinct and Panthera pardus tenius

There is impossible that both these subspecies lives on Zanzibar, which are a quite small island, I belive that Panthera pardus tenius are a synonym of Panthera pardus adersi, In fact a old collecge of me worked on Zanzibar during the early 1950 when leopards still was common on Zanzibar, (He is probably the person in the world which knowns most about this subspecies as he was living on this island almost his whole live, he dedicated all his free time to describe the Zanzibar islands mammal fauna and he also study the leopards on Zanzibar from 1961-1991 when he saidly died). He estimated that the population on the island never were more than 100-110 animals, and even in 1950 the population could not have been more than 80 animals, AT MOST. Altough it was in 1966 still left in a number of areas on Zanzibar, (I received a few photos of him taken in 1971-1974 which are the only known photoprahps on living Zanzibar leopards) the last survey report that he made, in 1986 he said that "the leopards of Zanzibar has always been regulary hunted by the local people, but that the population stayed stable until the early 1970 when it started to getting more and more scarce, a higher hunting rate, intensive habitat lost, breeding for sheeps and a more intensive hate for the leopards on the island was getting clearer and cleared for each years, I dont have any idea how long this beutiful cat will exsist on this island which has become its and my home, the only I know is that the subspecies soon will be gone from this island" he also estimated that in 1986 about 30-35 animals was left.

[another specialist]

Panthera pardus tenius this supposed subspecies is no longer valid. Not listed as a recognized subspecies. So only one subspecies used to be found in Zanzibar. searches in 1997 found no trace of leopards on this islands.

[lenny]

the last confirmed sihgting was made in 1991, when a single animals was spotted since then, there has not been a single trace after this subspecies, the population had also declined and was estimated to be lower than 10 animals 1990, it must have gone extinct about a year after, the hunting are not controlled on Zanzibar and a mammal of this size would be easy to spot on this higly populated island, if there was any they had been reported and probably killed.

[another specialist]

thanks for info gratefully received...

[sebbe67]

picture from the book, African mammals

[Bucardo]

A closer view of the stuffed specimen found by Another specialist:




The Zanzibar-leopard. Despite of much ignorance around biologists, this is the world's rarest cat! When I first heard about the situation of this cat and I saw the footprints, I contacted the IUCN when I got home. 15 months later, when the first biologists were finally sent to the Island for a field-study, there were no more leopards left! This is the only Zanzibar-leopard that you can see, stuffed since 1945 in the Zanzibar-museum. There's not even one picture of a living one! Special: Brown spots, eats fish and is very small!

www.geocities.com/wavetour/abs0.htm

[another specialist]

Thanks Bucardo and sebbe67 for pics of this mysterious leopard

[another specialist]

ERRATUM: IS THE ZANZIBAR LEOPARD (PANTHERA
PARDUS ADERSI) EXTINCT?
Helle V. Goldman & Martin T. Walsh
The following figure was inadvertently omitted from the above mentioned paper published in the previous issue. The editors wish to express their sincere apologies to the authors and readers for this omission.

www.naturekenya.org/Downloads/Goldman.pdf

[another specialist]

Chui konge has a dark colour with a faint spot pattern and is now thought to be extinct

Leopards are associated by local people with witchcraft and are also hunted for their skins. There are reports that witchdoctors on the islands keep these leopards in captivity to assist them with their magic-making and it is possible that chui konge may still survive in this context, although it is impossible to substantiate.

Endemic sub-species. Believed extinct


www.allaboutzanzibar.com/indepth/ecology/02-landecology/id-02-02-animallist.htm

[sebbe67]

It may be of interest to note that up until the 1964 revolution on Zanibar Island the Zanzibar leopard, a subspecies endemic to Zanzibar was well distributed on the island, especially in the south, east and north. Pakenham (1984) mentioned that between 1939 and 1943 a total of 23 leopards were registered with the administration as having being killed. After the revolution the goverment initaited a campaign to eredicate the leopard. This was apparently in an effort to prevent the occasional killing of live stock and also to eliminate the leopard as a source of withcraft. According to Archer (1994) the campaign was very successful with the goverment backed hunters killing a large number of leopard, mainly trapping them.

Very few sightings of leopard were recorded during the 1980s with Swai (1983) seeing only one animal. Goldman and Welch (1997) after carrying out a survey of the status of the leopard on Zanzibar Island, said the correct status of the leopard on Zanzibar was controversial. Some authorities claim that it was already extinct but after their survey they felt that though the species was on the brink of extinction, a small population of leopard still existed on the island. They give figures of 115 being killed on the island between 1985 and mid 1996. Stuart and Stuart (1997) felt that altough they did not encounter any evidence of leopards on Zanzibar Island during a month long survey (April 1997) they felt that the precence of a few individuals should not be ruled out.

Source: Duikers of Africa (Masters of the African forest floor), the Zanzibar chapter, book published in 2005.

[another specialist]

thanks sebbe67 for the above vey interesting. So hopefully there is a slim chance they may still be a few survivors.

[leopard81]

very interesting indeed loets hope so

[another specialist]

A closer head shot

www.louispalmer.ch/zanzibar.htm