BLOOD OF THE LEOPARD – A Mission Leopard Initiative
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Blood of the Leopard is Mission Leopard’s living intelligence publication, providing evidence-based assessments of illegal leopard trade, organised wildlife crime and emerging conservation threats.
→ Go Here for the Blood of the Leopard Overview and Section Links including information on the illegal global demand for big cat body parts, trafficking networks, crime convergence, enforcement gaps, the scale of the trade and much more.
Read below for Intelligence Assessments in constant review as part of the living document
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE BRIEF
Living Intelligence Assessment
Assessment Date: 11 July 2026
Lead Assessment
Current evidence indicates that organised criminal networks continue to sustain the illegal trade in leopard body parts across South Asia through adaptive trafficking routes, persistent demand, and exploitation of both human–wildlife conflict and digital marketplaces. While enforcement continues to disrupt trafficking activity, long-term conservation success will depend upon reducing both commercial demand and the supply opportunities that enable illegal trade.
INTELLIGENCE FOCUS
Current analytical priorities include:
✔ Illegal trade in leopard skins, bones, claws and teeth
✔ Organised wildlife crime and criminal network behaviour
✔ Human–leopard conflict as a driver of illegal supply
✔ Cross-border trafficking across South Asia
✔ Online wildlife trade and digital marketplaces
✔ Conservation intelligence supporting better decision-making
REGIONAL ASSESSMENT
| Theme | Current Assessment |
|---|---|
| Illegal Leopard Trade | HIGH |
| Organised Crime Involvement | HIGH |
| Cross-border Trafficking | HIGH |
| Human–Leopard Conflict | ELEVATED |
| Online Wildlife Trade | INCREASING CONCERN |
| Overall Conservation Outlook | REQUIRES URGENT ACTION |
WHY THIS PANEL EXISTS
Blood of the Leopard is a living intelligence publication.
Rather than simply recording wildlife seizures or reporting individual trafficking incidents, this assessment continually evaluates emerging trends, conservation threats and organised wildlife crime across the leopard’s range.
The purpose is not only to document events, but to understand what they collectively reveal about the evolving illegal trade and the conservation challenges facing leopards.
As new information becomes available, these assessments will be refined to improve understanding and support better conservation decisions.
CURRENT GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE
Primary Intelligence Region
South Asia
Current assessments include:
• Illegal wildlife trade
• Organised crime
• Human–wildlife conflict
• Cross-border trafficking
• Online wildlife crime
• Conservation policy
Intelligence Expansion
Southeast Asia (In Development)
Africa (In Development)
Central Asia (Future)
Middle East (Future)
OUR APPROACH
Mission Leopard believes that successful conservation depends upon understanding the systems that threaten wildlife.
Our assessments integrate field observations, published research, open-source information and conservation analysis to improve understanding of illegal wildlife trade and support better conservation decisions.
Observe → Understand → Decide → ACTION
LAST UPDATED
11 July 2026
This intelligence assessment is reviewed and updated as significant new information becomes available. Blood of the Leopard Sections HERE are updated as appropriate in conjuction with intelligence assessments.