Cameras spot nine leopards in Limietberg
2010-07-29
THE Cape Leopard Trust Limietberg survey is now officially underway and to date nine adult leopards have already been identified! This is the first of three sub-surveys forming the Cape Leopard Trust (CLT) Boland Project. According to Jeannie Hayward and Anita Meyer from the CLT, of the nine leopards spotted, seven have been identified as males and two as females. “We expect this number to grow with more effort.” Forty-six camera stations (totaling 70 cameras) are currently deployed across the Limietberg Nature Reserve, surrounding mountain catchment areas and neighbouring private land. Hayward said that they had only checked 20 stations and still need to check the rest. The Cape Leopard Trust Boland project is a field study of the Cape leopard population in the Boland Mountains and they work closely with Cape Nature. The CLT Boland Project extends from Beaverlac Nature Reserve and the Groot Winterhoek Wilderness (near Porterville) in the north, right down to the Kogelberg Nature Reserve (Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond region) in the south – covering a total area of over 300 000 hectares. This study aims to establish the first rigorous population estimates for leopards in this region and to identify possible conflict hotspots. The ultimate objectives of the research are to obtain baseline data necessary for ensuring the survival of leopards in the Cape mountains, alleviate leopard-farmer conflict and establish the presence/absence/relative abundance of resident mammal populations. Valuable baseline data on a wide variety of mammal species will contribute to a better understanding of the Boland ecosystem, ensuring better insight into future management of this unique area. Cape Leopards are very shy and elusive. Only a few people have been lucky enough to see one. Fortunately, there is a solution – digital cameras, containing an infrared sensor triggered by motion and heat (referred to as a “camera trap”). Camera-trapping has proved to be a very effective way of estimating the numbers of elusive and nocturnal animals such as large carnivores (eg tigers in India). Photographs of leopards are an exceptionally useful tool, since each leopard has a distinctive spot pattern – almost like our fingerprints – by which it can be identified. Camera traps can be deployed singly, but ideally a camera station should consist of two cameras opposite each other. Such double stations are used to compile “leopard identikits” – photos of both an individual’s left and right flanks – which are crucial in estimating the number of individuals in an area. An added advantage of the camera traps is that they are like permanent fieldworkers, working day and night, in rain or sunshine. They capture everything that moves and this provides the ideal opportunity to also gather data on other mammals. These photos give information about prey availability, and forms part of an exciting collaboration with the University of Cape Town’s Animal Demography Unit. When launched, members of the public will be able to act as “citizen scientists”, uploading mammal photographs directly onto the web, thereby creating a huge database with loads of distribution records. “Ultimately we’d like to see the CLT Boland Project become a flag-ship research and conservation project in the Western Cape. “We’re working towards creating a deeper appreciation for the amazing wildlife the Cape mountains have to offer, and mobilising the broader community to take ownership of the biodiversity in the mountains they see every day.” The Limietberg survey will run until October, before moving south. If you are interested in sponsoring a camera or any other support, contact boland@capeleopard.org.za. -Source www.capeleopard.org.za.
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