• Donate Now
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
  • Login
  • Register
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
No Result
View All Result
Home News World

South Africa: Study raises concerns over leopard numbers

BCR by BCR
October 28, 2008
in News World
0 0
0
0
SHARES
87
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email
Guy Rogers ENVIRONMENT & TOURISM EDITOR
 
THERE may be as few as 30 leopards left in the 300000 hectare Baviaanskloof, the mountain wilderness north- west of Port Elizabeth long renowned as a leopard stronghold in the Eastern Cape.
 
That’s one of the shock indications emerging from a ground- breaking study by Rhodes ecology masters student Jeannine McManus, who spoke at a predator management workshop in Willowmore, on the edge of the Baviaanskloof.
 
McManus’s research is being done under the auspices of the Landmark Foundation, which hosted the workshop with Woolworths. The NGO and the blue chip supermarket group are shaping a new “predator-friendly lamb” model which they hope will put more rands in farmers’ pockets at the same time as persuading them to protect rather than kill their age-old enemies: leopard, rooikat and jackal.
 
This is also the premise behind McManus’s work. She explained: “Hopefully, with this new model assistance is going to come from you and me, the consumers. But in the meanwhile, there is so much we need to find out about leopard.”
 
Focusing on the privately owned land around the Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve, she started her work at the end of 2006 and has now trapped eight leopards and fitted them with sophisticated satellite tracking collars.
 
The data shows the males roam much wider than the females, with the largest range recorded 500km².
 
The collar data also shows the terrain over which the animals range – mostly gorges and rivers, probably in search of prey, and mountain habitat. Data also reveals the fluctuation in their energy expenditure. They travel great distances in search of food and when hunts end in success, activity reduces dramatically, sometimes for days.
 
Another fascinating revelation is that the females roam in the day and the males in the night. This phenomenon appears to be an unusual form of co-existence. Leopard populations in other parts of the country do not feature this gender separation.
 
McManus’s other main source of information is 30 cameras installed 5km apart around the study area. The cameras are moved every three months.
 
Following the shooting of one of the territorial males recently, it is expected that other leopards will now move into the area.
 
This would correspond with a new report by jackal researcher Rob Harrison-White, another delegate, that the presence of predators increases if the territorial pair or a member of the territorial pair is killed, she said.
 
“The footage we are collecting allows us clearly to identify animals and it is clear there are no overlaps in territory.
 
“If we extrapolate over the whole Baviaanskloof the number of animals we are capturing on film together with the range sizes we have identified, our preliminary finding is there could be as few as 30 leopards in the whole 300000ha kloof, which is very low and of great concern.
 
“It could have major implications for how the species is managed and protected.”
 
The research so far has covered all the private land around the reserve but has not yet gone into the reserve, McManus said.
 
“It will be interesting to see if the numbers there differ. My hunch is it will not be a massive jump.”
 
http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/news/n21_28102008.htm
 
——-
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://bigcatrescue.org
 
 

Tags: News World
Previous Post

Italy: Lynx, wildcat conference scheduled for November

Next Post

No efforts planned to catch Nevada cougar

BCR

BCR

Big Cat Rescue is Caring for Cats and Ending the Trade

Related Posts

News World

Enrichment Program @ BIG CAT RESCUE!

May 7, 2022
114
Zanesville Massacre 18 tigers 17 lions 3 cougars gunned down  South Africa: Study raises concerns over leopard numbers jeg empty
News World

Zanesville Massacre 18 tigers 17 lions 3 cougars gunned down

October 20, 2021
10.3k
Vanessa Hudgens Shame  South Africa: Study raises concerns over leopard numbers jeg empty
Cat Laws

Cub Petting Shame

September 12, 2021
6.1k
Snow Leopard  South Africa: Study raises concerns over leopard numbers jeg empty
News @ BCR

Save Snow Leopards

April 17, 2021
6.2k
Big Cat Rescue does bobcat rehab and release of native, Florida bobcats.  South Africa: Study raises concerns over leopard numbers jeg empty
Articles by BCR

GoFree

March 29, 2020
2.7k
Next Post

No efforts planned to catch Nevada cougar

Leave a Reply

  • Default Comments (0)
  • Facebook Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Help Feed Big Cats

One of the best ways to help is through general donations that can be used however it is most needed at the time.To make a general donation just click the Donate Now button below.  This is the best way to give as it has the lowest credit card processing fees and is immediate help for the cats.

Give to Big Cat Rescue

If you prefer to donate via Pay Pal, please use this link: Pay Pal

Recent Articles

  • Insitu2021 January 17, 2023
  • Smell my beans! Priya tiger at Big Cat Rescue. January 13, 2023
  • Want! Kekoa and Makani rehab bobcats at Big Cat Rescue. January 13, 2023

Recent Comments

  • Deb Quimby on Koda Lioness
  • heather elliott on Sapphire
  • Jason Jenkins on Tiger Facts
  • Claire Pritchett on Koda Lioness
  • Deb Quimby on Jinx

Save Big Cats

Donate to Big Cat Rescue

Sanctuary Cats

  • Jaguars
  • Leopards
  • Lions
  • Tigers
  • Bobcats
  • Canada Lynx
  • Cougars
  • Ocelots
  • Savannah Cats
  • Servals

More from Big Cats

  • Big Cat Rescue is Live 24/7 on Webcams
  • Rescue Missions
  • About Big Cat Rescue
  • Big Cat Rescue News
  • Reviews
  • Our Recent Work
  • Sanctuary FAQs
  • Big Cat TV

Insitu2021

January 17, 2023
Smell my beans! Priya tiger at Big Cat Rescue.  South Africa: Study raises concerns over leopard numbers jeg empty

Smell my beans! Priya tiger at Big Cat Rescue.

January 13, 2023
Want! Kekoa and Makani rehab bobcats at Big Cat Rescue.  South Africa: Study raises concerns over leopard numbers jeg empty

Want! Kekoa and Makani rehab bobcats at Big Cat Rescue.

January 13, 2023

© Copyright 2023 BigCatRescue.Org. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • About BCR
  • Videos
  • Big Cat Facts
  • Cub Facts
  • Our Cat Stories
  • Sanctuary Cats
  • Shop and Save Cats
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Abuse Issues
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2023 BigCatRescue.Org. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist