Year in the Wild Blog
Posts with tag Cape leopard
Leopards! Here in the Gamkaberg.
There are leopards in these mountains! On our walk down the Tierkloof with reserve manager Tom Barry and field ranger Cornelius Julies, we came across fresh leopard spoor. “This is a leopard’s highway,” Tom joked. Only it isn’t a joke. There are plenty of leopards in the Gamkaberg. And interestingly, some of them are much bigger than the average Cape leopard, which tends to be about half the size of the leopards found in the rest of Africa.
Tom took us to meet Gareth Mann, a PhD student who
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Gamkaberg – New wilderness with new wonders
Why haven’t we been here before? That’s how we feel about the Gamkaberg Nature Reserve. I’ve always wanted to come, but the famous places got in the way: Cederberg, Karoo, Kruger, Kgalagadi… Can you blame me – these are all special places of course. But that’s why I’m doing this trip…to discover new wilderness areas in South Africa, and to share them with likeminded people.
I’d
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Leaving De Hoop on a high note!
We are sad to leave De Hoop. Like all of the wild places I’ve been, I’m always reluctant to leave. It seems like the more you find out about the wildlife, the plants, the people, the history…the more you want to learn. And I think you always leave a little bit of yourself at every special place.
I spent the second last day with Adriaan Witbooi – known to everyone at De Hoop as “Ad”. He’s
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Protecting Namaqua’s predators…and livestock…with some Turkish expertise
The Cape Leopard Trust - well known for its groundbreaking work in the Cederberg - is also active in Namaqualand, where for many years people believed that leopards had been exterminated. But they are still here, as camera trap photos have proven. (Staff in Namaqua National Park have seen leopard, although rarely).
So close, yet so far…a good morning with the Cape Leopard
I've just returned from a hike this morning in the Cederberg mountains with Quinton and Elizabeth Martins, who run the successful Cape Leopard project.
Leopards are notoriously difficult animals to "see" at the best of times. In the open bushveld of north eastern South Africa, where leopards are far more common than in the Cape, you'd be really lucky to see one. They're nocturnal predators, and very
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