3 May is International Leopard Day, and we celebrate the launch of a new informative website to boost this important annual day onto the global calendar – giving it a much-needed platform and online presence.

March 2023 marked the inaugural Global Leopard Conference (GLC), which brought together hundreds of researchers, students, conservationists and enthusiasts in the first-ever international gathering dedicated to Panthera pardus, the leopard. Despite being a well-known and charismatic species, the conference presentations and discussion groups overwhelmingly indicated that leopards are still greatly in need of awareness raising, support and investment – especially considering their ‘Vulnerable’ status as listed by the IUCN. As a lasting legacy of the Global Leopard Conference, International Leopard Day on 3 May was officialised and endorsed to give it a permanent and meaningful place on the global wildlife calendar, enabling higher awareness, promotion and celebration of leopards worldwide.

It was agreed that International Leopard Day (ILD) deserved a dedicated portal to host information about the day and leopards, as well as some basic resources. A logo was developed courtesy of Bissan Designs, and a website was built by a small group of volunteers. The new website can be found at internationalleopardday.org as the official domain and online home of International Leopard Day. The ILD logo is free to use to bolster awareness about this important day and about the need to celebrate leopards, ensuring they have a future in this world (internationalleopardday.org/resources/logo)

The Cape Leopard Trust is proud to support and celebrate International Leopard Day 2023 and we invite you to spread some leopard love on your socials with the hashtags #InternationalLeopardDay #LoveLeopards and #ForTheLoveOfLeopards – and let the world know why leopards are creatures worth conserving!