First leopard spotted on newly created wildlife reserve in South Africa

UmPhafa records first leopard August 2011. As Colchester Zoo's charity, Action for the Wild, continues work to develop the UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve in South Africa, a leopard has finally been spotted on the reserve after many signs had been recorded indicating that they had been present in the area.

In December, staff at UmPhafa recorded conclusive evidence of a leopard whilst a security guard was out on patrol. Our project coordinator, Liam Westall headed out to investigate and confirmed that the tracks were undoubtedly those of a leopard, with a hair caught on the fence line caught by the leopard passing through a gap also confirming the sighting.

Camera trapsSince the signs have been recorded on the reserve the UmPhafa staff set camera traps on UmPhafa and the neighbouring farms hoping to catch a glimpse of the leopard, as tracks and signs became even more frequent. The staff sourced some bait to attract the leopard and left scent trails leading it through a path where the camera was set up. After lots of hard work trying to capture a photo of the elusive leopard on UmPhafa, staff managed to get a wonderful photo of a leopard on one of UmPhafa's farms; Geluk.

Leopards
Leopards can grow to between 1.6 and 2.1 metres long, with males growing considerably larger than females. This elegant and beautifully marked cat has a wide distribution in sub-Saharan Africa and has a wide habitat tolerance. As they are mainly active at night, it has taken the staff on UmPhafa a long time to record a photo. As they have huge home territories depending on food availability, it is likely that they cross out of the UmPhafa Reserve in order to search for prey. With the increase in natural prey numbers, it is hoped that the leopard will be encouraged to spend more time within the reserve.

In previous years the leopard has become increasingly rare, but with more lands set aside for wildlife, signs and sightings are now becoming more and more common. The hills and vales of UmPhafa provide an ideal habitat for this species and the appearance of the leopard is a clear indication of the extent of change the land has undergone. There is potential for UmPhafa staff to study this further, and create a clearer picture of the population density in the area, as well as an indication as to how well targets are being achieved regarding rehabilitating the habitat of UmPhafa.

For more information on the UmPhafa Reserve, please visit the website at www.umphafa.com.
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