September 10th, 2010
To most people the idea of real, live leopards lurking in the folded mountains of the Western Cape is almost unthinkable.
Considered by many to be a bushveld beast through and through, the existence of the Cape leopard is often relegated to the realm of myths and legends.
However, with sporadic appearances from these feline phantoms over the years, the sleepy seaside village of Betty's Bay has proven itself to be something of a hot spot, not only for leopards, but also for those seeking them out.
Stories of encounters
Yet only a lucky few Betty's Bay residents and holidaymakers have had the honour of a close encounter with one of these elusive creatures.
In most events these blessed meetings occur in the twilight hours of the day, close to the Harold Porter Botanical garden, or for a startling moment in the headlights of a car. Never do they last longer than a few split seconds but nonetheless stories, tall tales and magical myths about local leopards abound.
The little girl and the leopard
One of the oldest Betty's Bay leopard tales is that of a little girl who innocently befriends a big, spotted cat without realising what it is.
The child encounters the creature for the first time lazing on the sunny stoep of their neighbours' empty holiday home and takes it upon herself to feed the cute kitty with scraps of fresh fish and leftovers. Obviously mistaking it for the neighbours' forgotten house cat, she doesn't realise the danger of the situation and soon becomes cosy and familiar with the full-grown leopard.
Two books that have been written about the leopards of the Kogelberg region.
But the magical relationship between girl and wild animal comes to a sudden end when, one day, her father spots the unlikely pair frolicking in the next-door-neighbour's garden. Sure that he would be saving his daughter's life, he rushes over to grab her away and ultimately changes the way she would see the cat forever.
One version of the story has been adapted into a charming children's book named "Susan and the Leopard."
Penguin Massacre
Another well-known story dates back to December 1986 when a seemingly bloodthirsty beast, managed to wipe out more than half of the resident African Penguin colony at Stony Point in the space of two nights. Its motives were unclear, because the penguins were not eaten. Most of the dead birds had suffered only a bite mark or two, suggesting that the creature that had dealt the death-blows possibly saw it as more of a game than a meal.
A recent photograph of the African Penguin colony at Stony Point, Betty's Bay.
Irate residents who suspected the leopard were soon proven right by trackers and a large cage with a few of the dead penguins inside was set up as a trap by Cape Nature Conservation.
It took a few attempts to finally catch the leopard, as the animal would cleverly remove some of the bait and escape the cage time and again. According to Avril Nunn, who has been living in Betty's Bay for a good number of decades, the reason for this may well have been the leopard's keen observation skills. "While they set the trap," Avril recalls, "they looked up at a ledge above them about six feet away and on it, watching them, was THE LEOPARD!"
A sign at Stony Point mentions the historic massacre.
When Cape Nature Conservation finally managed to outwit the intelligent creature, an agreement was reached to sedate, collar and relocate the leopard instead of killing it. A fence was erected around the penguin colony and to this day they have remained undisturbed by their naughty nemesis.
Tragic end
The leopard, however, was not as lucky and came to its unfortunate end on a small-holding between Betty's and Pringle Bay a short while later. The angry farmer who lived there had apparently had enough of the leopard continually harassing his livestock and finally shot and killed it.
It caused a major public outcry, but the farmer defended his action by saying that the leopard had become a danger not only to animals, but to people as well.
More recent meetings
Although it was initially thought that the sole and only leopard to roam this area had been killed during this incident, later sightings have happily shown that this is not the case. Fresh stories of Leopard spotting in the area have popped up over the years, proving that Betty's Bay and the Kogelberg Biosphere region in which it lies, are still considered something of a safe haven for the big cats.
A big cat with spots and a stripy tail
In one of the most recent recollections Samuel Siqhomole, a gardener, had come across a leopard while cycling to Betty's Bay one morning from his home in Overhills, Kleinmond.
The sun had not quite risen as he rode through the Palmiet River valley, a largely uninhabited area between Kleinmond and Betty's Bay, and something skulking across the road caught his eye. When he managed to focus on the movement in the half dark, his gaze was met by two glowing yellow cat's eyes.
A painting by local artist, Colin Bates, proves that leopards have made quite an impact on this little town.
Calmly telling his employer, Lisel Krige, about it a bit later he merely said that he'd been surprised by a very big cat crossing the road on his way to work. On further enquiry he revealed that the cat had spot-like markings and a ringed tale! As Lisel later commented: "Fortunately, not knowing it was a leopard had ensured that he'd been unfazed and had pedaled on peacefully."
And in a flash it was gone...
On another occasion Bernie Carolus, a horticulturalist from the Harold Porter Botanical garden, caught a glimpse of a strange movement next to the road one evening. She stopped, reversed and caught a beautiful leopard in the full glare of her car's headlights peacefully strolling along a stone wall.
In true leopard style it disappeared into dense bushes along the road within a matter of seconds, leaving her wondering whether it was phantom or fact.
The stone wall where Bernie Carolus spotted the leopard.
From the horse's mouth
According to Corlie Hugo, an ecological coordinator at the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve in Kleinmond, there is a lot of proof of leopard activity in this region. "Unfortunately I have never been lucky enough to see a leopard myself, but I've heard plenty of stories from people who have. We also come across leopard tracks and dung quite often," she explained.
She also mentioned that the Cape Leopard Trust (CLT) will be erecting special motion sensor cameras in the reserve within the next few months, which they are hoping will boost research on leopards in the area.
A cub and its mother caught by one of the CLT's motion sensor cameras in the Wemmershoek area.
These cameras contain an infrared sensor sensitive to motion and heat, which means that as soon as an animal walks past the beam, the camera is triggered to take a picture.
According to Jeannie Hayward and Anita Meyer, coordinators of the CLT Boland Project, camera-trapping has proved to be a very effective way of estimating the numbers of elusive and nocturnal animals. Go have a look at our gallery.
Titus, a male leopard in the Matjiesrivier Nature Reserve in the Cedeberg.
The CLT has been conducting similar research in various regions including the Cederberg, Namakwaland and the Gamka/Swartberg area.
Their research in the Cederberg has shown that there are significant differences between Cape Leopards and those in the North. Here are a few fast facts:
• The Cape Leopard occurs in the mountain regions of the Western, Northern and Eastern Cape.
• Leopards in the Cederberg are MUCH smaller than those elsewhere in Africa, being about half the mass. Males weigh about 35kg and females only 20kg.
• Cape Leopards have exceptionally large home ranges.
| Leopards in the Kruger National Park | Leopards in the Cederberg |
| Males: 25 - 50 km² | Males: 200 - 1000 km² |
| Females: 10 - 25 km² | Females: 80 - 180 km² |
• According to the CLT the genetic status of the Cape leopards is currently under investigation, as preliminary studies have shown that leopards in the Cape differ genetically from leopards elsewhere in Southern Africa.
• The CLT is uncertain of how many Cape Leopards there currently are, but are hoping to have a clearer picture in the next couple of years.
Please find our Email Disclaimer here-->: http://www.ukzn.ac.za/disclaimer
No comments:
Post a Comment