West Africa’s leopards now officially endangered after 50% population crash

There are only about 350 mature leopards left in West Africa, according to the latest regional assessment by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. Leopards (Panthera pardus) in West Africa are thought to be genetically isolated from those in Central Africa, with little or no interbreeding between populations. They’re found in 11 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Once widespread across West Africa, the leopard population there has declined by 50% over the past two decades, leading to their moving to a higher threat category of endangered on the IUCN Red List. “In Africa, the leopard is not doing too badly, but in West Africa it’s a different story,” said Robin Horion, a field techni