At the time of writing, the South African Government’s deadline for public input on their 2025 leopard hunting quota was drawing to an end. Aside from the fact that leopard hunts are planned often years out, and the marketing season for 2025 is drawing to an end, this would not be the worst thing the South African government has done!
This topic is particularly interesting given the various perspectives on hunting leopards in South Africa.
The National Tourism Department stops short of opposing hunting. Certainly does not support its role. Mainstream media also stands against it, and AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC, one of the largest "Environmental/Travel" publications, recently expressed its position on hunting. They emphasized the following points:
- The hunt must be conducted legally, ethically, and humanely.
- The hunting of free-roaming wildlife has to be proven sustainable for the species and genetic traits extracted as a result of the hunt.
- Hunting free-roaming wildlife must generate significant benefits for local people based on verifiable evidence.
AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC stressed the importance of transparency in these three points to prevent speculation, mistrust, and misinformation.
The photographic industry often operates unchecked, fencing areas, erecting lodges, and in extreme cases allowing the habitat to collapse, a prime example of the negative impact of photographic tourism where there is little to zero sustainable management of wildlife – is the Madike Game Reserve.
**The Dire State of Madike Game Reserve **
Game reserves often acquire animals from game farms, where they are bred. Or from state and provincial parks that have excess stock. This practice occurs with little accountability, or regard for sustainability. If they do practice it, and I am talking sustainable harvesting or hunting - they do not tell their photographic eco tourists for fear of offending them. Transparency is an unfamiliar concept when some of South Africa's fanciest lodges and properties are involved. Oddly enough, many being in the same area as where the CEO of AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC lives and penned his opinion piece.
Leopards, arguably the most resourceful cats, are being decimated by the dozens, if not hundreds, in South Africa. Surprisingly, this isn't due to the international hunters and their (PHs) who are often despised by society. Instead, it is the livestock farmers, whom we hold in high regard for feeding the nation, who are responsible.
If you ask livestock farmers to speak honestly, they will reveal the "Triple S" approach – Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up – as their management tool to deal with what they consider valueless leopards.
This problem isn't confined to South Africa; Namibia faces a similar situation. Although I am uncertain about the current situation in Zimbabwe, I recall an experience from 1985 when I worked in Bulawayo. A cattle farmer in the lowveld, to whom I sold veterinarian products, sold me, what became my prized leopard flatskin. Richard Peake of Taxidermy Enterprises (later name changing to TCI in Bulawayo) made the flatskin on felt for me. This was the farmer’s 126th leopard that he had killed on his cattle farm over the years – a statistic I will never forget.
Anecdotally, game farmers with 3,000 hectares claim to have evidence (trail cams etc) of leopards on their property. Even if we double this to 6,000 hectares to be conservative, the number of leopards is still significant. Photographic game reserves ensure they know where their leopards are; tourists expect to see them and their ratios are often considerably higher. The most extreme case of dense leopard population is found in Sabi Sands, adjacent to the Kruger National Park, where there is one leopard for every 830 hectares, as disclosed by the NGO Panthera. Panthera raises funds to protect leopards and laments their decline, stating that leopards are vanishing, extinct in 13 countries, and possibly extinct in seven more. However, they do not specify which countries these are or whether legal, well-managed hunting occurs in these leopard-less countries. Enough sensationalism to keep the coffers open and enough undisclosed facts to ensure hunting them keeps closed.
Kruger National Park claims a population of 1,000 to 1,500 leopards, with a ratio of one leopard for every 1,350 hectares. Half the density of Sabi Sands, the reason for this discrepancy is unclear, but it may be due to the abundance of prey available or perhaps provided, for the well-documented leopards in Sabi Sands, which pleases visitors. Sabi Sands is an incredible place to see leopards.
Considering South Africa's 20 million hectares of private game farms, we can assume there should be a significant leopard population. Adding all other game reserves, provincial, and state parks, the total population should be at least double that of the Kruger National Park.
In conclusion, there has to be over 3,000 leopards in South Africa, they are not vanishing but are being slaughtered by livestock ranchers. Considering a growth rate of 2.5%, it should be possible to sustainably hunt 10 old male leopards a year. Wildlife scientists and game park rangers can explain better, this inconvenient, yet essential truth.
However, hunters now have to scientifically prove what is sustainable and still endure the onslaught and rebuttals of any data presented. It seems like the lunatics are running the asylum.
Regards
Richard
