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Panthera pardus

A herd of 40 wild elephants at Ampara in east Sri Lanka is totally dependent on garbage from tractors. Photo by Tharmapalan Tilaxan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New UN Report Finds Migratory Species Are Likely Among the Most Vulnerable to Plastic Pollution

Migratory species are likely to be among the most vulnerable to plastic pollution according to a new study released today by the Secretariat of the UN's Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). The study focused for the first time on the impacts that plastic pollution has on animals that live on land and in freshwater environments, in the Asia-Pacific region. The study included case studies on the Ganges and Mekong river basins, which together contribute an estimated 200,000 tons of plastic pollution to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean every year.

30 Aug 2021

Cheetah © Jim Zuckerman; African Wild Dog © John Birch; Leopard and Lion © Jacques-Andre Dupont

African States Make Long-term Commitment to Conserve Their Largest Carnivores

More than 30 countries hosting African Wild Dog, Cheetah, Leopard and Lion met in Bonn from 5 to 8 November 2018 to establish the African Carnivore Initiative. The initiative constitutes the first Africa-wide commitment towards saving African Wild Dog, Cheetah, Leopard and Lion. Habitat loss and fragmentation, prey depletion, retaliatory killing of carnivores by owners of livestock and increasing trade in lion specimens and live cheetah are the main reasons for these animals’ rapid decline across most of Africa.

13 Nov 2018
African Lions (Panthera leo) © John Birch

African Lions (Panthera leo) © John Birch

World Wildlife Day 2018 – Big Cats – Predators under Threat

On the 3rd of March each year is World Wildlife Day, this year being conducted with the theme “Big Cats – Predators under Threat”, highlighting the dramatic declines in numbers and habitat being suffered by Lions Tigers, Leopards and Jaguars as well as Cheetahs, Snow Leopards and Pumas. The campaign also provides an opportunity of publicizing and garnering support for the many conservation initiatives being undertaken worldwide to ensure big cats’ survival.

02 Mar 2018
Lion © Vanessa Mignon

Lion © Vanessa Mignon

Opinion: Predators under Threat

With World Wildlife Day this year being celebrated under the theme Big Cats - Predators Under Threat, Bradnee Chambers, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Migratory Species, examines some of the difficulties involved in reconciling the interests of wild animals and the people who have to live alongside them.

27 Feb 2018

African Lion (Panthera leo) © Vanessa Mignon

Big Cats: Predators under Threat -World Wildlife Day 2018

The theme for next month’s World Wildlife Day being celebrated around the world on 3 March will be “Big Cats: Predators under Threat”. World Wildlife Day, led by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), brings together a coalition of conservation organizations – joined this year for the first time by African Parks, Panthera and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The campaign will stress the importance of actions – at the international, national and personal level – to ensure that big cat species survive in the face of a range of largely human-induced threats.

20 Feb 2018
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Assessment information
CMS InstrumentsCMS, African Carnivores Initiative, Central Asian Mammals Initiative
IUCN StatusVulnerable
Date of entry in Appendix II2017
Geographic range
Countries Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chad, China, Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Common names
EnglishLeopard, Panther
FrenchPanthère, Léopard
SpanishLeopardo, Pantera
GermanLeopard, Panther
Taxonomy
ClassMammalia
OrderCarnivora
FamilyFelidae
Scientific name Panthera pardus
AuthorLinnaeus 1758
SynonymsFelis pardus

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Related content

Title Start date Country CMS Instrument
First Range State Meeting of the Joint CMS-CITES African Carnivores Initiative (ACI1) 05.11.2018 Germany African Carnivores Initiative, CMS, Lions
Publication Publisher Type Published Date
Fact Sheet - Big Cats of CMS UNEP/CMS Secretariat Fact Sheet 03 2018
Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Freshwater Aquatic, Terrestrial and Avian Migratory Species in the Asia and Pacific Region CMS Secretariat Technical Reports 08 2021
Document Number Title Publish date CMS Instrument
CMS-CITES/ACI1/Inf.10 Roadmap for the Conservation of the Leopard in Africa 31.10.2018 CMS