I’ve been a fan of The Tiniest Tiger blog since learning of their conservation efforts a few years ago at the BlogPaws conference. Yesterday, Joanne McGonagle, founder of the blog, published a post about an effort underway to help save the world’s leopards. Here is an excerpt:
Leopards have disappeared from nearly 40% of their historic range in Africa and 50% in Asia. They have vanished from Hong Kong, Kuwait, Libya, Singapore, Syrian Arab Republic and Tunisia. Their presence in 6 other countries is in question.
The leopard is one of fashion’s iconic inspirations, unfortunately this is the reason the leopard is the most hunted big cat on Earth. Demand for their skins is one of the main causes of their decline and the reason they are listed as “near threatened” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Panthera’s Furs for Life Leopard Project is providing a simple and sustainable solution to protect leopards. Collaborating with digital designers, Panthera created a high-quality and realistic fake leopard skin to replace the real skins worn at ceremonies. More than 5,000 fake leopard capes have already been donated in southern Africa, and Panthera’s new partnership with the Peace Parks Foundation and Cartier will enable the distribution of at least 13,000 more.
Panthera has launched the #IFAKEIT movement to raise awareness about the plight of leopards worldwide.
Here is how you can help:
- Post a photo wearing leopard print with the hashtag #IFAKEIT to join the movement. Help Panthera reach 18,000 unique hashtags to accompany each cape, as a thank you to the communities willing to fake it for leopards.
- If you are able, donate $30. Thirty dollars can create one fake leopard skin cape and help save a leopard.
- Tweet and post to Facebook and Instagram your photo with the #IFAKEIT hashtag to help drive a global conversation about protecting leopards and to encourage more leopard champions to join the fight to save their spots.
We support the efforts underway to help save these beautiful cats from extinction, so we will be donating $30 to help save a leopard.
Please consider saying #IFAKEIT for leopards!
To learn more about The Tiniest Tiger, go to conservationcubclub.com
Written by Karen
