Who or what does the leopard symbolize in benin iconography?

In Benin, the leopard is a symbol of royal power. In the past, the leopards were even sacrificed so that the well being of the royal family is assured. In the seventeenth century the Oba kept tame leopards, he led the leopards in chains with him while he was parading through the city, and in this way he was showing his power and dominion over the mighty leopard, ''King of the Bush''.