12 Animals The Human Race Tragically Killed Off

7. Zanzibar Leopard (Extinct 1990s)

Zanzibar Leopard
Wikipedia/PeterMaas

The story of how the Zanzibar leopard (Panthera pardus adersi) came to be extinct is bizarre - because it appears it was due to increasing conflict with the human population of Tanzania.

Native to Unguja Island in the Zanzibar archipelago, it was a belief of many Tanzanians that these leopards were kept by witches and then sent to harm villagers and their livestock. As a result of this, and the fact that the habitat of the Zanzibar leopard had been encroached upon and destroyed anyway, locals set about systematically killing the beast.

The most destructive period for the leopard was after the Zanzibar Revolution of 1964, when Unguja's most famous witch-finder Kitanzi led an expedition to kill the beast. Due to its classification as "vermin", the population of the leopard declined rapidly - and late conservation efforts failed to save it, so it was confirmed as extinct in 1996 (despite some people still claiming sightings).

 
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NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.