Zanzibar Leopard 

Are you ready for a story of witchcraft, political intrigue, and prejudice surrounding the existence of a rare and beautiful animal? The history of the Zanzibar leopard is well-documented, but the question of its continued presence remains unanswered. The evidence is contradictory, so let’s take a deeper look. 

Description of the Zanzibar Leopard

The Zanzibar leopard evolved after the island of Unguja (now known as Zanzibar) became separated from the African mainland at the end of the Ice Age, about 11,000 years ago. 

Smaller than the African leopards found on the mainland, the Zanzibar leopard had a lighter coat with spots, unlike the typical rosettes on other leopards. 

These changes resulted from the leopards' adapting to their new environment, and they adapted well, living off the smaller mammals on the island and co-existing with the human population.

History of the Zanzibar Leopard

How did an animal found in abundance as recently as 150 years ago become extinct by the end of the 20th century? And is it, in fact, totally extinct? 

Early Zanzibar Settlers And Their Beliefs About Leopards

The first inhabitants of Zanzibar, the Hadimu and Tumbatu tribes, arrived from the mainland around 1000 A.D. Later, around 1200 to 1300A.D., traders from North Africa and the East settled in Zanzibar and became part of the island’s community.

The culture of these inhabitants included a reverence for, and fear of, the Zanzibar leopard, which they believed had magical powers and were controlled by witches who used them to attack people and livestock. This belief led to the once-harmonious relationship between man and leopard becoming one of outright conflict. 

The Culling of the Zanzibar Leopard

The deliberate killing of the leopards culminated in the mid-1960s when the new revolutionary government sanctioned an all-out eradication program headed by the infamous Mzee Kitzani. 

Researchers in the mid-1990s judged the Zanzibar leopard to have little chance of survival, and efforts to develop a conservation program for the leopard were suspended.

Is the Zanzibar Leopard Extinct or Alive?

The last verified sightings of a leopard were in 1996, and there were documented leopard killings in 1995, so the Zanzibar leopard certainly existed until then. The problem is that since then, there are only anecdotes from local villagers to support the belief that it has survived. 

A made-for-TV documentary series, Forrest Galante’s “Extinct or Alive," claimed in 2018 to have captured a Zanzibar leopard on video, but there is much skepticism that this was a genuine sighting. Check it out for yourself:

Despite several scientific research programs since then, no scrap of concrete evidence of the existence of the leopard has been found, so the question remains unanswered. 

Conclusion

The Zanzibar leopard roamed the forests of Zanzibar for hundreds of years and was only declared extinct about 30 years ago. With the loss and fragmentation of its habitat and the human/animal conflict that developed it’s highly unlikely that it has survived. But who really knows? Book a tour of Zanzibar with us at Tanzania Safaris, and let’s find the answer!