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We have finally captured a decent photograph of the Matjiesvlei leopard. Although this magnificent male has been caught on film before, it has always been a poor photo or a pic of just a leg, or tail. This has been going on for over a year – now, we have a photograph we can use to create a proper identikit for him. Matjiesvlei, near Calitzdorp, is an awesome area and it has been a privilege for us to work here. Being part of the CLT Gouritz project area, we will begin with the collaring and GPS monitoring of the leopards in this region in May.

We would like to thank all project sponsors for their patience and understanding - allowing us time to get to know you.

We will keep everyone up to date with the collaring project. Fingers crossed!

Best wishes
Aneri and Gareth

On the weekend of 16-18 April 2010, the Land Cruiser Club of southern Africa (LCCSA) and the Cape Leopard Trust (CLT) got together as part of the introduction to the CLT’s Boland Project. We, Anita Meyer and Jeannie Hayward, the co-ordinators of the Boland project, joined a group of LCCSA members at the Tweede Tol campsite in Bain’s Kloof for a relaxing camping weekend. The aim of the weekend was to introduce the LCCSA members to the work of the CLT and to build interest and support for the new Boland project.

The group of volunteers - Pride of Table Mountain - who take children from Cape Town townships on excursions up Table Mountain, were privileged to take part in a Cape Leopard Trust Environmental Camp (22 - 24 January 2010) sponsored by The Three Cities Group. Some of these young adults have been volunteering every second weekend for years with Pride. It was a great pleasure, as the Cape Leopard Trust, to run a camp programme in the Cederberg for this particular group. The programme aimed at deepening their knowledge and observation of the local environment and giving them new ideas and subject matter to bring to their voluntary work.

The Cape Leopard Trust has recently welcomed two new members on board. Jeannie Hayward and Anita Meyer will be the two researchers heading up the new CLT project – a leopard population study in the Boland Mountains. Their study area will include the entire Boland Mountain chain, stretching from the Groot Winterhoek Mountains in the north, all the way down to Kogelberg in the south. 

Gareth Mann (M.Sc. Conservation Biology, B.Sc.Hons. Zoology) has lived and travelled in Europe and South-East Asia. With a lifelong interest in conservation, he is fascinated by both by the inherent beauty and secrecy of leopards, as well as the conservation challenges that they present.  

Read more about Garth here.

Dear Cape Leopard Trust Supporters,

Thank you for your amazing support of our work. It is quite difficult to conceive that 2009 has almost run its course. It really feels like the year has flown by very quickly. However, when one considers all that has been accomplished and everything that has happened, it makes it more plausible that another year has passed in the work of conserving leopards, broader conservation and environmental issues as well as the tackling of an education facet of the project.

Please take the time to read our annual report.

 2009 Cape Leopard Trust Annual Report 1.64 Mb 

Special thanks must go to our brilliant Board of Trustees, to all our sponsors, camera trap donors, spot adopters and general supporters, who have contributed so generously to the continued success of this growing project.

We wish you all a wonderful festive season, a Merry Christmas and safe travels over the New Year. See you in 2010!

The Cape Leopard Trust is taking some time off during the December period. We will be back in the full swing of things in January. However, before we sneak off to avoid the holiday rush, we would like to thank the following supporters for recent contributions made to the project.

Firstly, we would like to thank Matthew Philogene for his website support and tenacious attitude, forcing us to feed information on the project to him. Thanks Matthew & raramuridesign  for your amazing work on the site!

Imagining

The site was perfect and my imagination roamed between the poplar trees, rustled through fallen leaves…a distant chatter and laughter of children to come…sandy paths winding to surprising bathrooms…a fire burning, the light reflecting on the leaves above…a shelter from the rain and sun…reeds creating spaces…bucket showers on pulleys...a shake of curiosity and a stir of peace…

Building

Once all were agreed on the plans and with the permission and full support of Cape Nature to build the campsite on Matjiesrivier Nature Reserve, the very first step was having the Wendy House put up – this has a division down the centre and would act as kitchen and storeroom.

by: Elizabeth Martins

From the 30th October – 1st November the Wupperthal Secondary school grade 9’s joined The Cape Leopard Trust on a camp in the Cederberg, sponsored by the Claremont Rotary Club. The camp was a huge success. Wupperthal is an isolated Moravian settlement in the Northern Cederberg. Willem Titus and I ran the camp. Willem had been a scholar at this school, so had been taught by some of the teachers on the camp. 

The first task on a camp is always setting up the tents. This is not an easy task and one that requires teamwork and physical effort – which is why we have children put up their own tents. Each tent sleeps three, but it is easiest to set up with four. It was interesting to watch as the two groups of boys set up their tents next to each other, and both got to the point of needing another person. A dilemma - everyone else looked busy – until they realised, it’d be easiest if all helped to set up each others tents, which they then did.

The Cape Leopard Trust (CLT) is one of South Africa’s most successful and forward thinking environmental NGOs with long-term projects running across the Western and Northern Cape Provinces of the country. The CLT in conjunction with Cape Nature and the Animal Demography Unit (ADU) at the University of Cape Town is pleased to be in a position to offer a 2-3 year postgraduate scholarship for the following exciting project:

Leopard population study in the Boland Mountains, Western Cape, South Africa.