African Leopards - One Step Closer to Increased ESA Protections

​worldanimalnews.com/imperiled-leopards-are-one-step-closer-to-increased-endangered-species-act-protection/

Fragmentation, habitat loss, ceremonial use of pelts, poaching, and trophy hunting; African Leopards are facing never-ending, human caused perils that are putting them in danger of possible extinction. Despite having some Endangered Species Act Protections, the rules surrounding trophy hunting imports have left leopards susceptible to continued poaching. Now, the USWFS has agreed to a June 2027 deadline to analyze whether the African Leopard requires further protections that would specifically target trophy hunting and trophy imports.

Photo Credit - Brett Hartl - Center For Biological Diversity

One of the things  find most frustrating about the conservation of species' on our planet is that it remains a two sided issue. There are still people who argue against protecting animals on track towards extinction, mostly because they're gun lobbyists, trophy hunters, or safari game reserve organizers. What sickens me is that we're using words like "endangered" and "extinction" and yet people will continue to fight for their "right" to shoot and kill leopards for fun. They want to continue displaying their trophies for all to see while leopards continue to plunge towards extinction. It's rooted in selfishness and a lack of compassion.

One of the things I would like to remind people who argue against these protections is that at one point in our history, every single species on the Endangered Species List was abundant on our planet. Every species that has since gone extinct, was at one point abundant on our planet. The fact is, as the human population continues to grow, the animal kingdom will inevitably decline, unless we change the things we are doing. When we're using terminology like "endangered", "threatened", "vulnerable", or "extinct", this should be an immediate response from our Governments to tackle ANY human-caused peril that is putting a species in danger. However, it seems like it takes several lawsuits and many years before the responsible parts of our governments decide it's time to act. 

Our inaction is negligence. While we drag our heels, leopards are being killed for trophies. There cannot be conservation when we are simultaneously permitting shooting leopards for the right price. Leopards must receive the highest form of protections through the ESA in order to properly help the species rehabilitate. It's time to stop pandering to wealthy hunters and start pandering to our planet's imperiled species. Once they're gone, they're gone, no more trophies, no more leopards. There's only one responsible solution here; give leopards the protections they deserve.

​Learn more through the link at the top of this post.

HAPPY VEG