There’s a Leopard in my Fynbos

in June 2011 - Miscellaneous

Written accounts of leopards in the Cape date back to the early 1600s when they were known as tijgers, ‘tigers’ or tiere.  During this period they were shot in Bishopscourt, Newlands, Rondebosch and Hout Bay. Records however suggest that the ‘tiger’ population around Cape Town and the Peninsula were already diminishing by the mid-1800s. Lions, hyenas and other mega fauna such as black rhinos and elephants were already extinct by then, thus it was rather surprising that the spotted cats still roamed freely in the mountains of the north and east. Here leopards still survive in the rugged Fynbos and the Karoo mountains, forming part of the Cape Fold Belt, their population extending beyond the Ceder - and Swartberg.

Historically, active measures were taken to eradicate all forms of “vermin”. Bounties were placed on the heads of a surplus of species, many of which are now extinct in the Western Cape. Today efforts are made to conserve many of the surviving species, including leopards. The role and importance of large carnivores and other fauna in the ecosystems has finally been recognised across the world. Projects such as, rewilding parts of North America and Europe with large fauna provides an example of the measure currently being taken to ensure the safety of endangered species.

Africa, fortunately, has had the least extinction – an assemblage of mega fauna still exists. In places like the Cape where extinctions have occurred; the reintroduction of large predators and mega herbivores is problematic. Large predators need a spacious habitat with a suitable and sufficient prey base in order to support viable populations. Such populations usually only exist in large conserved areas or reserves. The co-existence of modern humans with large predators outside conserved areas have been hampered by the total destruction or altering of habitats, threat of personal safety and the impact on livestock production. Under the circumstances, we can safely say that our leopards will have to do as the new leading predator in our altered environment. Although a potential threat to unprotected livestock, these diminutive “large predators”, have not been considered a tangible threat to humans.

Prior to 1974, leopards were unprotected and appeared on every landowner’s hit-list. Since then, the management of the species has been one where, although protected, killings still occur through the issuing of permits when depredation of livestock takes place. Leopards were occasionally killed illegally, but the most frequent incidents were the result of obtained, legal permits.

In 2003, I did a scientific literature search on Cape leopards and discovered that there was a startling lack of information on these creatures. Peter Norton, a champion of the leopards, was my main source of information – he published a number of articles on their movement, diet and conservation status. His work is still cited extensively today, considering the difficulty in researching leopards in the Cape Mountains, this data was and still is truly valuable.

In my research the main focus was on leopards in the Cederberg Mountains. It covered two of the major Biomes found in the Cape (Fynbos and Karoo). The study soon made it apparent that farmer-leopard conflict was a major issue – yearly, in my study area alone, an average of seven leopards were killed. The need was obvious; the killings had to be stopped. Using modern technological advancements such as; GPS radio collars and infra-red cameras a detailed study of leopard ecology in this mountain region was conducted.

In 2004 The Cape Leopard Trust (CLT) was established and became the vehicle through which means were found to alleviate the conflict between man and leopard. Research was conducted, and much needed data revealed how to better manage this age-old relationship.

After eight years, The Cape Leopard Trust finally managed to stop the excessive killing of leopards in the Cederberg. Whereas 21 leopards were legally exterminated during 1988 -1991 now only two leopards were recorded as the victims of ‘hunters’ – the last in March 2007. The CLT initiative has been thoroughly supported by Cape Nature.

The results from CLT research provide insight into the future survival of the species. It is likely that very little has changed in the Fynbos Mountain or catchment regions in the past 400 years. Most of the perturbation occurred in the low lying areas, while the rugged mountains have remained largely unaltered. Furthermore, leopards have a distinct preference for a particular habitat – rough, rocky areas and slopes as opposed to open and flat areas. In fact, it is questionable whether leopards were ever present in the Cape flats when lions were still there - perhaps in passing only. The tendency to inhabit mountain-areas correlates with their preferential diet; rock-dwelling klipspringers and rock hyraxes (dassies). In the Cederberg this combination formed 78% of their diet. Accordingly, it is safe to say that the survival of leopards in the Fynbos Mountains Cape looks promising, apart from the two main threats – farmers and fire.

Firstly, commercial farming involving crops such as; fruit and grapes are not a direct threat to leopard conservation. Much of these farming practices take place in already altered landscapes. Care should however be taken so that no further natural vegetation is removed, and possible corridors should be set up to connect to suitable leopard habitat. Where livestock are kept, conflict still occurs, but on a lower level compared to the past. Focus needs to be placed on the marginal livestock-farming areas surrounding “good” leopard habitat. This will ensure that farmers will have the ability to manage and protect their livestock properly, as it is inevitable that a leopard with a home-range of few hundred square kilometres will harm the defenceless beasts.

Secondly, unnatural fires are a serious concern for leopards as well as Fynbos biodiversity. We have little knowledge of how fire affects leopards and other mammals in this fire-driven system. The recent fires in the Limietberg Nature Reserve region have given CLT the opportunity to test how leopards are affected. An ongoing leopard population density study incorporating the use of infra-red cameras, since March 2010, was continued. We, resurvey the region immediately after the fires and in doing so are able to see what the effect on mammal abundance and distribution is.

For the hiking enthusiasts: know that you are privileged enough to be sharing the mountains with the leopards, and that their existence creates an intact and healthy ecosystem.

The Cape Leopard Trust is a conservation NGO sponsored by public and corporate concerns, amongst others, Rand Merchant Bank Fund, Leopard’s Leap Wines and The Harbour House. Its aim is to use the leopard to draw attention to broader environmental issues, utilising research and education to discover ways to have a positive impact.