Leopards to walk freely in Karoo

[Sprocky]

2013-04-18 09:01

Cape Town – Leopards in the Klein Karoo will be able to roam unhindered for 300km in a new nature reserve, it was reported on Thursday.

The Cape Times reported that provincial conservation group CapeNature had acquired five farms, covering an area of 12 800ha, to create a new reserve called Grand Canyon.

This had expanded the protected area to 215 044ha. The land was bought by the World Wide Fund for Nature SA.

"It's quite incredible to think that a leopard can walk basically from Anysberg all the way to Baviaans without changing its spots," CapeNature ecologist Annelise Schutte-Vlok said.

"That is quite a distance. What's so great about this new land is that it links protected areas, because in conservation connectivity is crucial, not just for movement of leopards, but for the movement of all animals and also for genetic migration of plants."

- SAPA

[pooky]

Amazing news.

The Leopard Trust in the Cape are doing a lot of
work with cameras set up in the mountains at strategic
points. In the Hottentots Holland mountains behind
Somerset West five different leopards have been photographed.
A leopard and cub were seen the other day crossing the N2
not far from Sir Lowrys Pass. We saw a leopard crossing the
road in du Toits Kloof mountains a few years ago.

Surprisingly there seem to be alot of leopards in the
mountains in the Cape.

Great news for the leopards

[Lisbeth]

That's the place to go then, because in Kruger I've never seen one

[Errol1]

This is wonderful news....well done to all concerned....