Farmer shoots leopard dead

July 11 2007 at 05:57PM

By John Yeld

Yet another Cape mountain leopard has been killed in the Baviaanskloof wilderness area near Patensie in the Eastern Cape - this time by a farmer who was hunting in a formal conservation area.

This brings the number of leopard deaths in the area to more than 20 since the conservation organisation Landmark Foundation started keeping records in late 2002.

"Sadly I must report that we lost our 21st leopard - all except one of these leopards have died in the Greater Baviaanskloof area," said foundation director Dr Bool Smuts.


"These account for only the animals we know of. So the slaughter continues."

Smuts said the leopard had recently attacked the farmer in the Suurvelt, adjoining the Baviaanskloof Wilderness area between Kareedouw and Patensie.

"The farmer was mauled while he was out with a hired hunter and a pack of dogs investigating the presence of a leopard.

"He had not reported any (stock) losses to conservation authorities prior to going out on the hunt, and the attack occurred while he was off his own property on adjoining conservation land."

The farmer fired a shot during the attack but had been unsure whether he had hit the leopard, Smuts said.

After recovering in hospital from wounds inflicted by the leopard, he had gone to inspect the site of the attack where he found the leopard's decomposing body.

"So another leopard is dead, this one without it being a proven 'problem' animal. It was hunted by dogs without a permit, and on conservation land," Smuts said.

"The Landmark Foundation continues to do all in its power to convince landowners to target only 'problem' animals under the guidance of conservation authorities and to avoid targeting entire species."

Smuts said they had saved five leopards from certain death, releasing four in Addo and one elsewhere in Baviaanskloof.

The foundation provided extension services to at least 70 farmers and sponsored sheep collars, Anatolian guard dogs, leopard traps, tracking collars and compensation mechanisms in experimental areas to promote non-lethal solutions to "problem leopards".

"We can happily announce recent sponsorships of about R500 000 towards our research programme and extension functions, " Smuts said.

"This idiocy of leopard extermination must stop, and we call on all who care about these animals and their role in biodiversity conservation to join forces to stop this slaughter."


The Landmark Foundation is a non-government organisation that aims to promote the conservation use of land.

"What is required is a landmark change of thinking and behaviour, whereby biodiversity and landscape conservation provides investment returns and benefits to people, that in turn creates incentives for its conservation," it says on its website.

This article was originally published on page 5 of Cape Argus on July 11, 2007

Thyank you Kathy fot taking time to post on topics of interest for those of us that love Africa.

Unfortunately this is but another case of too many people and too many animals competing for the same space. I want to say to these "fools" let the leopards be, they are only doing what leopards do.We will all lose if they are exterminated from a part of their habitat.However , I know if I were one of the landowners losing sheep or cattle to the leopard I would do all I could to eliminate them entirely.

No easy answer I am afraid.