West Coast leopard recolonisation is gaining ground, with new evidence confirming that leopards are once again moving through parts of the West Coast and areas close to Cape Town, reports Cape {town} Etc.
The update follows a pre-Christmas service of field cameras by conservation NGO Landmark, which has monitored the species since 2019.
Landmark shared the findings in a public conservation update, supported by ongoing field research and camera trap data (Facebook).
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Researchers say the results mark a significant shift after more than 170 years of absence caused by human driven extermination.
Leopards disappeared from the West Coast, Swartland and Cape Peninsula in the 1800s after sustained bounty hunting. The last recorded leopard was shot in Camps Bay in the 1860s, followed by another in Hout Bay in the 1930s.
Landmark’s long running study confirms that leopards are recolonising isolated habitat patches, including flat coastal areas close to urban Cape Town. This is unusual, as leopards typically survive in rugged mountain terrain with limited human activity.
The organisation has confirmed at least five individual leopards between Cape Town and the West Coast National Park through ongoing monitoring. Specific locations have not been disclosed to reduce risk to the animals.
Peer reviewed research documenting leopard recolonisation in areas such as Piketberg was published in the journal Conservation.
Landmark says increased landowner tolerance; conservation partnerships and the end of organised vermin hunting have created space for recovery. The West Coast leopard recolonisation offers rare evidence that coexistence is possible in production landscapes, despite ongoing biodiversity loss pressures.
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Picture: Landmark Leopard & Predator Project – South Africa/ Facebook
