Dear Cape Leopard Trust supporters, it is our pleasure to update you on all the news and latest developments of the CLT. We hope you enjoy it. Remember; please contact us if you have any questions concerning the project or these stunning cats.
News Flash! 50/50 documentary 4 June – SABC 2
Bart Smithers (Big Film and Television Productions) and his trusty assistant, Muffin has produced, what we hope will be a fabulous representation of the work we are conducting. He has really gone the whole hog in terms of coming out to the Cederberg, documenting all exciting events and has tried to communicate to the viewer the unbelievably difficult nature of such a project. No sitting in game viewing vehicles and viewing relaxed “pussycats” for us! Here it is boot destroying, ankle breaking, unforgiving and stressful work trying to study and at the same time, conserve the low densities of leopards wandering these vast distances in our beautiful Cape mountains. We sincerely hope you all get to see the program and that it gives back something of which all of you have put into this project to make it the success it is! ENJOY and may we continue to make a difference. Your support has been remarkable!

Willem Titus – a story to good to be true
I have never come across a more enthusiastic field assistant in my life. Willem has thrown everything he has into this project (and more!). Sponsored by Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) and The Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor (GCBC), he has opened himself up to ever facet of the work we are doing. He has also gone beyond what is required, by communicating with the local communities and exposing them to the conservation ethics of the project. As mentioned in our previous newsletter, Willem has little formal education behind his name. Notwithstanding, his fieldwork skills have developed rapidly, and what is really amazing is the progress in data capturing and the computer skills he has picked up. In just over 3 months, he is using Excel and Word documents as if he had been doing it all his life (never having touched a computer before!). He is meticulous with his note taking and transcribes all these notes into the relevant data bases he has created – from mammals to reptiles – GPS co-ordinates, activities, behaviour – all of it is recorded and then typed up at the end of each day. He has almost 1000 data entries to his name since he started!
Willem will be taking his drivers test on the 20th June, which will free him up a lot more to get around alone in Frikkadel. We are also aiming to have him register to do his Matric through correspondence and to send him on as many useful courses as possible. Capestorm have offered to sponsor suitable outdoor clothing for Willem.

“Komkommer” takes to the starting grid

Initially we were going to name our new research vehicle “Koeksister”, but what came about was the purchasing of a green Land Rover Defender double cab, which needed to be renamed due to the colour more than anything else.

Vehicle sponsors RMB and Leopards Leap Wines, sponsoring R100 000 and R70 000 respectively, enabled us to purchase this late model off-road beast. Land Rover Cape Town’s KenTarr facilitated the sale, which was an amazing deal with loads of extras thrown in. Ken & his lovely wife, Sue, came up to the Cederberg to deliver the vehicle. He was a little shocked at the terrain it had to work in and left saying several prayers to the Land Rover Gods…
Needless to say, it has been working like mad, and any glitches have been sorted out by Land Rover Cape Town with the assurance that they will look after it like gold. Maybe we can finally convince Land Rover SA to take an interest in the project in future.

Meanwhile, the Leopards Leap marketing guys have been plotting away in their wine cellars, and have come up with some fabulous artwork/logo’s for “Komkommer”. So don’t be shocked when you see this vehicle chewing up the roads on its monthly excursions into the city.

Does the news ever end??? Never! Peter Turnbull of EcoAire has just called to say that he has a diesel card all ready for collection for the CLT & the green machine. This after providing all the petrol for Frikkadel since the inception of the project!!! Amazing!

News on our collared leopards:
“Johan”
What makes leopards in the Cape so mysterious? Is it that they are so small, have black noses or are so rarely seen? I would say that the latter is really one of the things that tickle you the most. Having captured and collared two leopards, I was firmly under the impression that finding them for data downloads from their GPS collars would easy, especially since the Bateleurs sponsored flights to track them. Evidently, this is not the case.

Gerrie Camacho (Mpumalanga Parks Board) was out in April visiting the project when we tracked “Johan” and got to see him with a female leopard. “Johan” had killed one of Johan van der Westhuizen’s springbuck, and was feeding on it with the female when we saw them late on the night of the 6th April. This was a stroke of luck brought about by the presence of one of the most awesome predator specialists in SA. Thanks Gerrie!! However, tracking leopards here is not always this easy…

On the 9th May, a month after I last took to the sky to download data from “Johan’s” GPS collar, Johan Ferreira and I launched another search for this leopard who we believed to be covering about 400km2. It took us 1.5hrs to locate a radio signal. Elated, I began trying to download the data using our UHF receiver. Time and time again we would circle the area, and I would lose the signal before being able to gather this priceless information. After 3 ˝ hrs hours of agonizing, painstaking attempts, Johan informed me that we were low on fuel. Somber and depressed we cruised back over the majestic Cederberg mountains to his private airstrip – our first failure to track one of the collared leopards and get a download. Being a very determined person by nature, Johan suggested we give it another bash early the following morning. I was overwhelmed by this generosity! Of course I would be there.

Once again, we located him but could not get a download. He was somehow obscured in a very steep gorge making it impossible to communicate with the collar. Exasperated, I suggested that we head back & that I race back by vehicle and then by foot to get closer. The collar is programmed to shut down at 12.30 pm to save battery power. I had 2 ˝ hrs to track him with 75km of dirt road and 20km of 4x4 rocky terrain to cover before getting close. I then ran, stumbling over rocks for 20min over some ankle breaking terrain to the first kloof – no signal. It was 12.05pm. I staggered along the edge of the rocky ridge to another vantage point – weak signal, no download – 12.24pm. One rocky ledge right on the edge of the kloof left to try. I dropped my backpack & ran with the tracking equipment reaching it at 12.29pm. Switched the receiver on & closed my eyes. “COLLAR 2024. RECEIVING GPS DATA” – I could not believe it! He was far below me in a deep crevice – unaware of all the drama taking place to locate him. I called Johan Ferreira – We GOT HIM!! The following day was my birthday – what a present!!!
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