Introduction and background
"Man-eater or mole-hunter, he is a creature of consummate grace who still lives among us. Small, more light than the average man who hunts him: handsome in the sun and ethereal by moonlight, the leopard is an animal for whom at least a grudging admiration should be found.
Let us try and keep him as a neighbour - except where the sublimely unconscious individual becomes unsupportable to man. Let us recall that the man-eater or stock-killer knows none of our laws, and should be pitied for the ill-understood retribution which man may inflict upon him...
Let us recall, when we hear horrific stories of the leopard and his kin, that it is pity and understanding of the so-called lower animal which are required - not hatred. For pity, while a thing of which to be aware, is perhaps the mother of understanding."
- Peter Turnbull-Kemp
The Hlambanyathi Game Reserve was chosen as a release site for two leopard females destined for destruction. What made the reserve ideal for a relocation attempt was the fact that leopard densities were relatively low in the area. Although there were resident animals present, their home range use and the resulting vacant areas were more or less known to us. This allowed the ideal opportunity for a study regarding the relocation and introduction (number supplementation) of leopards, and to observe the impact such an exercise can have on a resident population in order to facilitate future relocation attempts of this much-loved but also much maligned large carnivore.
Although leopard relocation in particular is frowned upon in some cases, it is an ongoing practise which occurs on an almost daily basis. Most of this "frowing" seems to stem from the idea that leopards cannot be relocated successfully. A pilot study identifying the potential influential factors impacting on such an exercise was conducted, and the resulting data was subjected to various statistical analyses. The outcome of this study was used as a basis on which to conduct the project, and thus, the Hlambanyathi Leopard Relocation Project was born.
At present, our daily activities are filled by locating both relocated leopards via VHF transmitters on their collars (sometimes twice a day) and recording all aspects of their daily lives that a GPS collar can not. Footage such as social interactions, hunting, territorial behaviour and many other activities are recorded in High Definition video format to be used in an upcoming documentary on the project.
We sincerely hope that you enjoy reading about these beautiful cats as much as we enjoy following and filming them.