Leopards are not rare in Africa. In many areas they are pests. They are very adaptable to civilization and are not endangered. They need to be hunted to keep the numbers down.
The real threat to leopards is that they will be put on the endangered list, with the usual results that the local poachers will hunt them remorsely, as they will no longer have local economic value.
Also, 2,200 CITES permits for leopard were issued in 2010.
IOW, not all that rare; and tightly controlled and regulated.
"Rare" should never be confused with "rarely seen" by casual observers.