The national animal of Rwanda is the leopard. This majestic predator is among Africa’s most symbolically significant wildlife, and plays an important role in many cultures in this part of the world. They are large, powerful big cats that in many ways are the perfect embodiments of the places they inhabit.
Rwanda is set right in the heart of Central Africa, and so as you can imagine its wildlife is incredibly diverse.
The leopard, though, is without a doubt among its most important symbols, both literally and metaphorically, and so it is the obvious choice as the country’s national animal.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Rwanda?
The national animal of Rwanda is the leopard.
This big cat is among the largest of its kind and is one of the five extant species in its genus.
They are well known for their dark spots which are grouped in rosettes which often has them confused with jaguars, though jaguars occur in South America and not in Africa where the leopard primarily lives.
They were first described by Western naturalism in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in his comprehensive tenth edition of System Naturae.
There are eight recognized subspecies today.
They have soft, thick fur, and their skin color can vary from pale yellow to dark golden.
They have a white underbelly and a ringed tail which is shorter than its body.
Their precise coloration can depend on where they are found, as leopards live in a variety of different habitats and climates as we’ll see later.
They are slender, muscular cats with comparatively short limbs.
They have a broad head and display a great degree of sexual dimorphism, with males generally being considerably larger and heavier than females.
Males are usually around 24 to 28 inches at the shoulder, while females usually do not exceed 25 inches in height.
Their tail is usually 26 to 40 inches long.
Males will usually weigh anywhere from 68 to 160 pounds depending on the region they are found, while females usually weigh at most around 95 pounds.
They are solitary and territorial, typically very shy and usually not emboldened to attack people though this is certainly not unheard of.
The only time two adults will associate with one another is during the mating season, though females will continue to interact with their offspring even after they have become fully independent; this is a fairly common feature of big cat behavior.
Why, then, are they Rwanda’s national animal?
Why is the leopard the national animal of Rwanda?
The leopard is the national animal of Rwanda for a variety of reasons.
On the one hand, they are considered to be important embodiments of many Rwandan values: they are seen as symbols of strength, courage, power and independence.
All of this is very important, on a symbolic and emblematic level, to the people and government of Rwanda, and so the leopard was simply seen as an ideal choice of national animal.
But they are not merely symbolic of abstract values.
They are also seen as the ideal embodiment of Rwandan natural beauty, too.
They inhabit the varied and stunning natural landscapes which comprise Rwandan geography, and thus they are also seen to be the very spirits of the land itself in a more literal, physical sense.
All of this is very important to the people of Rwanda.
On the other hand, though, there is also the question of conservation.
Sadly, leopard numbers in general have declined in recent decades for a variety of reasons, including excessive hunting and the loss of their habitat.
Awareness is one key step towards a solution to this problem, and so the Rwandan government hopes to bring attention to this problem by making the leopard the national animal of the country.
Where do leopards live?
Leopards have the greatest distribution of all wild cats, occurring in Africa, the Caucasus and Asia.
Again, though, their populations have begun to fragment and decline in recent decades.
They are no longer present in North Africa.
They most commonly inhabit savanna and rainforest, and any are where they can find undisturbed grassland, woodland and riverine forests.
Where they have been pushed to the brink, there becomes a greater chance for conflict with humans as they will begin to target livestock.
What do leopards eat?
Leopards prefer mid-sized prey ranging in body mass from 22 to 88 pounds, generally speaking.
This sort of prey will occur mostly in dense habitat and form small herds, though over 100 different species have been recorded as being preyed on by leopards.
As with many big cats, their most preferred species are ungulates, like impala, bushbuck, duiker, and chital.
They will also prey on primates like white-eyelid mangabeys, guenons, and gray langurs.
In some cases they will also target smaller carnivores such as jackal, bat-eared foxes and genet.
In some rarer cases they have also been known to target cheetah.
Many legends tell of individual cheetahs who killed hundreds of people in their hunting efforts, too.
Big cats in general are often seen as some of the most spiritually significant animals to human cultures.
Leopards are no exception and to the cultures and peoples that live in proximity with them, they are among the most important natural emblems.
Rwanda is a country of immense natural beauty and splendor, and the leopard is the perfect embodiment of that: powerful and fearsome yet also graceful, quiet and hauntingly beautiful.