Though they are the most widespread big cats in the world – able to exist anywhere from tropical forests to areas near major towns – leopards’ historical habitats have seen a decline of about 75 percent, harrowing news for a species classified as “near threatened.”

In a survey titled Leopard (Panthera pardus ) Status, Distribution, and the Research Efforts Across Its Range, researchers have made the first known attempt to take a look at the remaining global print of the animals, studying 1,300 sources.

“The leopard is a famously elusive animal, which is likely why it has taken so long to recognize its global decline,” lead author Andrew Jacobson said in a statement. “This study is the first of its kind to assess the status of the leopard across the globe and all nine subspecies. Our results challenge the conventional assumption in many areas that leopards remain relatively abundant and not seriously threatened.”

The researchers found that the leopard’s range today occupies 3.3 million square miles, a significant decrease from its historic range of 13.5 million square miles. These findings suggest an unfavorable future for Panthera pardus and its nine subspecies.

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In addition to habitat loss, key factors of leopards’ decline include fragmentation, prey depletion, conflict with people, trophy hunting of the big cats, poaching, and indiscriminate killing, according to the study.

The team also noted that leopards have disappeared in several parts of Asia and continue to struggle in the northern and western parts of Africa. Range loss was 48 to 67 percent in Africa, while in Asia range loss was 83 to 87 percent.

“We found that while leopard research was increasing,” the authors wrote, “research effort was primarily on the subspecies with the most remaining range, whereas subspecies that are most in need of urgent attention were neglected.”

Of these subspecies, the Amur (P. p. orientalis ), Arabian (P. p. nimr ), and Javan (P. p. mela ) leopards have been classified as critically endangered, according to the study. Two others, the Sri Lankan leopard (P. p. kotiya ) and Persian (P. p. saxicolor ) are classified as endangered.

The study has been released just as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is expected to change its official Red List status for leopards, National Geographic reports. The main species of the big cat is supposed to be upgraded to vulnerable, with some subspecies possibly receiving a listing of endangered or critically endangered.

Despite the concerning rate of range loss, there was a silver lining in the scientists’ research: in the Russian Far East and the Caucasus Mountains, the populations of leopards have stabilized as a result of the government increasing the size of protected areas and ramping up anti-poaching efforts, National Geographic also reports.

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"Leopards breed pretty well, so elimination of active persecution allows their populations to start growing again," lead author Andrew Jacobson told National Geographic.

The big takeaway is that more research and protection efforts are needed for leopards, he adds. "People should think of them as a threatened animal, like a lion or an elephant," he said. "They are not as bad off as tigers, yet, but they have lost a significant portion of their range."

Excluding this first attempt at looking into the distribution, population size and other factors affecting the livelihood of leopards, there is still an almost complete absence of information.

Researchers say that this study should be taken as a call to action.

“The international conservation community must double down in support of initiatives protecting the species," Panthera regional coordinator Philipp Henschel told National Geographic. "Our next steps in this very moment will determine the leopard’s fate.”

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