Wild cats, such as the leopard, lion and cheetah, have been kept in captivity throughout history. They have been used as hunting companions, for rodent control, and for the pleasure and education of humans. As the cats are increasingly threatened, captivity and captive breeding are becoming a better option.

Lions, leopards and cheetahs are predators and often attack farmers┐ livestock. Often they are shot by farmers who are protecting their livestock, and sometimes too they eat the poisoned meat left out for other animals.

The Fur Trade

Spotted fur has been considered highly prized for centuries. It has also been traded for centuries. During the 1960s and 1970s the fur trade reached its peak, threatening many species. There was a public outcry over the trade of wild furs leading to license controls being placed on trade. Monitoring of the fur trade was established and international commerce was banned on threatened species. The trading of fur still occurs on the black market.

Trophy Hunting

Trophy hunting is a big problem in Africa. Lions, leopards and cheetahs are often killed for pleasure in trophy hunting activities. It is often allowed to take place outside of the game reserves as a way for the poorer African nations to make money. This is especially disastrous for the lion pride because hunters will often seek to shoot the best males, usually killing the dominant male. If males are shot while they are migrating or travelling outside of the protected reserve, then prides in the reserve miss out on mating with it and don┐t receive the new genetic material of that lion. Also, when another male takes over as the dominant male, he will kill any cubs who were fathered by the dead lion. Many baby cubs die as a result and reproduction rates suffer.

Cheetah

Experts estimated that around 100,000 cheetahs existed in the wild in the year 1900. By the early 1970s the numbers were down to between 8,000-25,000. At present the cheetah is an endangered species and cheetah numbers are definitely going down. Things are looking better for the cheetah though. They were once at the top of South Africa┐s endangered list, but suitable numbers of cheetahs now exist in reserves. The biggest obstacle is the lack of suitable habitat to release the cheetah into. This has restricted the process of captive breeding.

Leopard

Poaching for the fur trade substantially reduced the numbers of leopards in Kenya during the 1970s. They are particularly vulnerable to baited trapping because they patrol small home ranges following regularly used trails. Hunting with poisoned baits also killed thousands of leopards in East Africa at the end of the 1960s. Although it is tolerant to habitat modification, the leopard is vulnerable to exploitation and population fragmentation. The leopard is largely protected across its range although landowners are allowed to kill ┐problem/dangerous┐ leopards. The hunting of problem or dangerous leopards is allowed in countries including Cameroon, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Somalia to name a few.

Lion

The lion has declined in numbers over the last 150 years. It is estimated there are only between 30,000-100,000 lions left, mainly in east and southern Africa. Lion numbers in west Africa are drastically down also. Lions are becoming increasingly rare outside of the protected wildlife areas throughout Africa. They are viewed as a threat to cattle stock and are shot or poisoned by farmers. Often too, the lion will eat poisoned meat that is left for other predators. Killing of the lion is restricted to ┐problem┐ lions and those that pose a threat to farmers. Some African countries allow trophy hunting of the lion, but in most countries hunting is illegal.