( CNN ) -- A growing religion in southern Africa is posing a threat to the survival of wild leopards . For the Nazareth Baptist Church , also known as the Shembe , leopards are seen as a symbol of pride , beauty and wealth , while their skins are viewed as essential attire for church elders who wear them around their necks during traditional ceremonies . A mixture of Christianity and Zulu culture , the Shembe is one of the biggest traditional religious groups in South Africa with around 5 million members . There are fears from conservationists that as the church grows , Africa 's leopards , already listed as `` near threatened '' by the International Union Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) , will be pushed towards extinction . `` From visiting a few of these ( church ) gatherings , you realize that it 's not 92 or 100 or 200 ( leopard skins ) . We are talking about thousands of leopard skins , '' said Tristan Dickerson , a conservationist at the Phinda Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal province . Dickerson first found out about the Shembe in the course of helping with a police investigation , after a pile of at least 92 leopard skins was uncovered during a village raid . Many of those skins had been tailored into clothing meant for the church group . Besides being killed by farmers trying to protect their livestock , 150 leopards are legally targeted by trophy hunters each year . But increasingly poachers kill them to profit from their use in traditional medicine and ceremonial dress . `` What we are finding is that they are actually being targeted , instead of it being by-catch from the illegal bush meat trade , '' Dickerson said . `` They are actually putting poisons out to target leopards because there is such a high demand for leopard skins now . '' The feline species is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species , or CITES , and the sale or possession of its parts is illegal in South Africa . Those who wear it as traditional gear , including Zulu royalty and high-profile individuals like President Jacob Zuma , are required to have permits issued by the state . But at Shembe church gatherings , trade in skins is done openly with no law enforcement . Dickerson 's attempt to solve this conflict of tradition and conservation has taken him to China where he has been trying to find a suitable fake fur alternative for church members . `` I went to Beijing and spent a week there , meeting with factory representatives to try and develop this fur into the level that was needed and the quality that was needed , '' Dickerson said . And the quality is crucial , because while the church 's leadership has warmed to the concept of fake leopard skins , they still have to approve of the product . Dickerson says the church 's followers will only be converted to fake items if the leaders say it is acceptable . On a recent trip to Ekuphakameni , South Africa , where the church was founded , Dickerson visited a church gathering and showed his fur samples to a senior preacher . `` It 's beautiful , but it 's not the real thing , '' said the preacher , Mhlanubanzi Mjadu . `` It 's like a blanket . After some time , it will wear out . Real leopard skin can last for more than 20 years . '' Mjadu said he had no idea trade in leopard parts was illegal , and he did not know that the leopard was a threatened species . He said that as an elder he could not wear a fake costume , but he could see a place for fake fur in the church as membership continued to swell and the prices of leopard skin seemed to be rising . `` It will help the congregation and protect the leopard from extinction , '' he said . Dickerson is also hoping that church followers who can not afford the real thing would find the cheaper version an enticing alternative , but so far they have not shown enthusiasm . At the gathering in Ekuphakameni real skins were being sold for $ 440 each . `` We are improving the product as we speak , '' Dickerson said . `` If we can get one of the leaders to wear one of these things and say to the people , 'This is accepted from now on , we do not wear real leopard skins anymore , we have an alternative , ' that statement ... would be the pinnacle of this whole project . ''
Followers of the Shembe religion in southern Africa continue to wear leopard skins during church services . Poachers increasingly sell leopards to profit from their use in traditional medicine and ceremonial dress . A conservationist is trying to produce a suitable fake fur in China for church use . Church elders and followers have been resistant to using fake fur so far .