Singer Shania Twain against extinction of leopards

This music video is called Shania Twain – That Don’t Impress Me Much.

From Wildlife Extra:

Singer Shania Twain becomes a Leopard Ambassador

Singer Shania Twain has helped wild cat conservation organisation Panthera launch #IFAKEIT – a social media campaign to raise awareness of the need to save one of fashion’s most revered but underrepresented icons – the leopard.

“I was shocked to learn that these gorgeous animals are being killed for their beautiful skins and other parts for the illegal trade, and yet are so loved by the fashion world,” says Shania, who has been given the title of Leopard Ambassador.

Referred to as the ‘new neutral’, the big cat’s spotted print has inspired fashion for centuries, influencing style all over the world.

The purpose of this campaign is to inform the general public that while the spots they are wearing are so widespread, the real leopard is under serious threat.

Every year, more leopards are killed in the wild than any other big cat. The species has vanished from nearly 40 per cent of its range in Africa and over 50 per cent in Asia. Many are killed simply for their beauty, as although they are in jeopardy from loss of habitat and conflict with people, the demand for their skins is one of the main causes of their decline.

Even though the international trade in leopard skin is now illegal, it is still common for local communities in Africa and Asia to use real leopard skins for religious and cultural ceremonies, whether worn as capes or used for other traditional regalia.

Panthera’s Furs for Life Leopard Project is providing a simple and sustainable solution that protects leopards but also supports local culture, collaborating with digital designers to create a high-quality and realistic faux leopard skin to replace the authentic skins worn at ceremonies.

More than 5,000 faux leopard capes have already been donated in southern Africa, and Panthera’s new partnership with the Peace Parks Foundation and Cartier will enable the distribution of at least another 13,000 more capes before the end of 2017.

“We wanted to capitalise on the fact that people everywhere are wearing more leopard print than ever, but so few know what’s actually happening to them in the wild,” says Shania.

“With Panthera, we aim to begin this conversation and generate awareness for leopards on a grand scale, while giving people something tangible to grasp, and engage in a fun and impactful way.”

To do this, the singer and the charity have launched the #IFAKEIT campaign, which asks people around the globe to join the movement and show how they ‘fake it’ for leopards.

They are encouraged to post photos of themselves wearing fake leopard print to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with the #IFAKEIT tag. …

The campaign first aims to generate 18,000 unique mentions tagged with #IFAKEIT on social media, to accompany each donated cape, as a thank you to the communities willing to fake it and to stop leopards from being killed for their skins.

The campaign also aims to raise $300,000 for the creation of at least 5,000 new fake leopard skins to distribute to communities outside of southern Africa, and to support other conservation activities to protect leopards across their range.

Lizwi Ncwane, an elder and legal adviser of the Nazareth Baptist ‘Shembe’ Church, says, “As a leader of the Shembe community, I have seen first hand how receptive my community is to using these fake skins.

“Not only do they look and feel like real leopard skins, they also last longer. We’re grateful that Panthera has worked with us in finding a solution that interweaves the conservation of leopards with the customs of the Shembe.”

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