To Skin a Cat…..

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Tristan Dickerson is a man on a mission.  A mission to save leopards!

Leopards are currently under threat and are described as vulnerable in South Africa – this means that they face the very real possibility of becoming extinct.   This is influenced by habitat degradation, killing by farmers to reduce livestock loss and the reduction in prey species.

Tristan is the coordinator of the leopard research project run by Panthera at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve.   During his research, he found that leopards are also in high demand for their beautiful fur.   This fur is used to adorn African VIP’s and the male members of the Shembe religion.  This religion, over a century old that has elements of the Zulu culture , has well over 5 million members and it is growing!  With only around 500 leopard left in KwaZulu Natal, if you do the maths, they dont have much of a future!

This led Tristan to try to think of an alternative for the devotees of this religion to wear in place of the real fur.  He has found a local weaver that can make fur that is very close to the real thing and that will not be as expensive as the leopard pelt.    He is hoping that making a fur that is affordable and close to the real thing, he may offer the alternative for a religion that essentially respects nature.

Getting the ‘buy in’ from the Shembe leaders will be essential even though some of the older members may show resistance to the use of fake fur.   However, Tristan has noticed that many of the younger generation in the church are wearing fake skins at the moment.  Hopefully, with education, members will understand  that the leopard are really under threat and not just ‘lazy breeders’ as the leader of the church purports, and will result in the use of the fur he is developing.

Tristan is currently involved in making a documentary on this project and our help is needed to complete the project.  Should you wish to assist and make a donation or just read more about this important initiative, please go to this website To Skin a Cat where you can also see a preview of this great documentary – filming is underway!

If you would like to read more about the important leopard research project at Phinda, please click here.

Photo Courtesy of Christian Sperka