Fake Leopard Skins Distributed in Southern Africa

Leopards, now on the "red list" of endangered species, are going extinct because of the high demand for their skins. Annually, 2,500 leopards are killed for their skins. In Southern Africa, a Shembe church that mixes Christian and traditional Zulu beliefs gather worshippers at a big religious event. The people attending show their status and power by wearing leopard skins. A conservation group by the name of Panthera donated over 14,000 leopard skins and another 4,000 will be distributed. Since the beginning of the campaign, "Furs for Life", began in 2013, the demand for real leopard skins has dropped by 50% and the death of leopards for their skins have dropped by 30% in the last two decades. 


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. "In South Africa, Conservationists Offer Fake Leopard 
     Hides." New York Times, The New York Times Company, 28 Jan. 2017, 
     www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/01/28/world/africa/ 
     ap-af-south-africa-leopard-skins.html?_r=0. Accessed 29 Jan. 2017. ​