(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/120928_leopard-tiger-skins.photoblog600.jpg)TRAFFICThese leopard and tiger skins, with fake mouths, were photographed for sale in Myanmar, which neighbors India.By Miguel Llanos, NBC NewsWhile India has struggled to protect its declining tiger population, its leopards have been getting even less protection, or attention for that matter. A study released Friday recognized that flaw, estimating that at least four leopards are being killed each week, double the official reports, with their skins then smuggled to parts of Asia.
"Even though reports of illegal trade in leopard body parts are disturbingly frequent, the level of threat to leopards in the country has previously been unrecognized, and has fallen into our collective 'blind spot'," study co-author Rashid Raza, the India coordinator for the TRAFFIC wildlife trade monitoring network, said in a statement with the study (http://www.traffic.org/home/2012/9/28/four-leopards-a-week-enter-indias-illegal-wildlife-trade.html).
NBCNews
The government of India better take action now before its too late and the leopards go extinct.