Key Points:
- In a number of African countries, the trophy hunting of large felids is an important revenue generator for landholders, governments, and in some cases communities.
- The hunting of large felids is especially profitable but they are sensitive to harvest, as the killing of prime-aged, dominant males can lead to infanticide and lowered reproductive success.
- If trophy size results in an increase in trophy price, then interventions that improve average trophy size could confer elevated earnings. This is particularly true if such interventions increased the number of failed hunts such that the same tag can be sold more than once.
- Our results suggest that hunters do not value leopard trophy size above other factors, which could hinder the implementation of more sustainable, age-based leopard hunting regulations.
Trophy hunting of large felids like leopards plays a significant economic role in many African countries, benefiting landowners, governments, and communities. However, these species are biologically sensitive to hunting pressure, as removing dominant males can lead to infanticide and reduced reproduction. While scientists have proposed age-based hunting restrictions to enhance sustainability—aligning with hunters’ preference for older, larger trophies—this study finds that leopard trophy size does not significantly influence hunt package prices. Instead, factors like the number of charismatic species offered and the outfitter’s reputation are more strongly correlated with price. In fact, larger leopard trophies were linked to lower prices in some cases. These findings suggest that hunter preferences may not support widespread adoption of age-based regulations, potentially complicating conservation efforts aimed at ensuring long-term population stability of large carnivores.
