Cape Leopard Trust (CLT)

#EndangeredSpeciesDay ~ Leopards (𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘶𝘴) are currently listed as Vulnerable on the @iucnred_list Leopards have a wide global range and are locally common in some parts of Africa and tropical Asia; however, their population numbers and distribution are drastically declining in large parts of their range, mostly due to habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting for the skin trade, illegal snaring and conflict with humans. Although the leopard is the most adaptable and versatile of the big cats, the persistence of many sub-populations is threatened. This includes leopards in the Cape mountains, which, due to their low densities, large home range requirements and limited availability of suitable habitat, are more vulnerable than many other leopard populations. Follow and support the work of the @capeleopardtrust to help us make a difference! 𝐴𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦: 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝐹𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑎𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐸𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝐷𝑎𝑦 𝑏𝑦 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑠. #EndangeredSpeciesDay2026 #endangeredspecies #iucnredlist #pantherapardus @endangeredspeciescoalition • @catsg_iucnssc

After the wild storm the last couple days, Oli and I went to check our trail camera and finally hit the jackpot!! 🐆 Our first adult Cape leopard sighting on camera on our farm in the Piket-Bo-Berg — moving through the rain storm. What a privilege to share these mountains with such incredible wildlife 🤍 And as if that wasn’t exciting enough, we’ve included two more special videos from the archives: - an aardvark sighting above Somerlus from April this year. - a young Cape leopard spotted at the top of Beacon Aisle last year! Such a fluffy tail 🤗 #trailcam #capeleopard #capeleopardtrust #retreatguestfarm #piketboberg

A special one for Mother’s Day😻 With the Western Cape currently in the grip of a series of extreme winter storms, we wanted to lift the spirits with this rather wet and bedraggled but feisty-looking little cub from our @capeleopardtrust camera survey in the Boland Mountain Complex. How would you caption this scene? Let us know below! 😉 #MammalMonday #CamTrapChronicles #leopardcub #leopardsoftheCape

A big shout out today to the wonderful team at vegagraphics_sa for once again sponsoring the branding of our @capeleopardtrust bakkies! It is sponsorships like these that enable us to keep our running costs down and manage our projects efficiently. Thank you, Vincent and team, for your professional and friendly service, quick turn-around times and fantastic support! #ThankyouThursday #SponsorSpotlight #VegaGraphics

If you missed out on celebrating International Leopard Day this past weekend, we have good news – there is still a chance to show your support! Join our 𝕎𝕒𝕝𝕜 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕕 at @delheimwines and experience a spectacular 10km mountain trail while supporting the @capeleopardtrust and @greater_simonsberg_conservancy 🐾 The weather for Saturday is looking good – we hope to see you there! And if you cannot make it to Delheim on Saturday, you can still support leopards by spreading awareness of the Cape Leopard Trust and donating to our cause – visit our website to learn more! 📅 Saturday, 9 May 🕗 8am to 1pm 📍 Delheim Wine Estate 💸 Tickets on Quicket ~ https://qkt.io/W4Wild #WalkfortheWild

We received an absolutely wonderful clip to celebrate International Leopard Day! Feast your eyes on this cutie patootie cub, spotted on a mountain pass in the Western Cape on Friday 😻 There were actually two cubs that darted across the road together, no doubt closely following their mom into the thick vegetation, but this little one decided to stop and have a peek at the strange rumbling ‘animal’ driving down the pass. @devin_paisley was lucky enough to capture the moment on film – what a beaut of a sighting! Judging by the sheer number of posts on social media and online platforms tagged #InternationalLeopardDay, the spotty felines are extremely popular indeed! May the enthusiasm for these important apex predators go further than pretty pictures online, and translate into support for organisations like the @capeleopardtrust that are dedicated to leopards and real conservation impacts. Visit our website to learn how you can get involved. #LeopardsoftheCape #GhostCatsOfTheCape #LeopardSupporter #LoveLeopards #ForTheLoveOfLeopards

The leopard. Charismatic, elusive, mysterious, regal… Master of stealth and disguise, supremely powerful, and utterly beautiful… Apex predator; keystone species for ecosystem health; umbrella species for biodiversity protection; flagship species for conservation and education… Yet, despite their popularity and importance, leopard populations are under threat across their global range. In the Cape it’s no different, with leopard density here among the lowest in the country. Leopards here are exceedingly wary of people and are rarely seen – so rarely that they’re referred to as the 'ghost cats of the mountains'. The @capeleopardtrust remains committed to our mission of protecting leopards and leopard landscapes and supporting coexistence between humans and wildlife, through collaborative research, conservation, education and strategic communications. Join us in celebrating these remarkable big cats, and help us to save a spot for leopards in this rapidly changing world… Visit our website to learn more! Happy #InternationalLeopardDay! 🐆 #LeopardsoftheCape #GhostCatsOfTheCape #LeopardSupporter #LoveLeopards #ForTheLoveOfLeopards

Elusive. Powerful. Rare. A very special sighting of a leopard in the Western Cape. A moment that reminds us just how delicate the balance is for these incredible animals. On this #InternationalLeopardDay, we reflect on the vulnerable status of leopards (Panthera pardus) and the urgent need to protect them and their habitats. 'To see a leopard is always a special occasion, but to see a leopard in the Western Cape, is a privilege that is difficult to explain.' Josh Frost, guide at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve Sanbona Wildlife Reserve is the key to unlocking the Little Karoo. #Untamed #Untouched #Unforgettable #SanbonaWildlifeReserve #Leopard #LeopardsOfTheCape #WildlifeConservation #CapeLeopardTrust Images by Josh Frost Photography 📷 @joshfrost_wildlife_photography @capeleopardtrust

#InternationalLeopardDay is around the corner and the @capeleopardtrust would like to invite all our supporters to join us in celebrating the spotted big cats of the Cape on Saturday 3 May! Some ideas to inspire you: 🐆🐾🐆 Channel your inner leopard and wear your best leopard-print outfit or any of our CLT merch – socks, caps, buffs or tee’s – and use the opportunity to spread awareness of leopards and the work of the CLT 🏃🚴‍♀️🥾 Dedicate your run, bike ride, hike or other outdoor activity to leopards and wear some spotty attire! 👩‍🎨🎨🎭 Make some leopard-inspired arts and crafts 👨‍🍳🧁🍪 Bake some leopard-themed cookies or cakes 📸 Take photos of your leopard day celebrations and post them to socials, tagging @capeleopardtrust in your pics and using the hashtags #GhostCatsOfTheCape and #LeopardSupporter 🐾 We look forward to celebrating with you! #FelidFriday #FridayFeelgood

A lively night of fun was had by the 100-odd spirited competitors at our @capeleopardtrust fundraising Quiz Night held at @jackblackstaproom last week!🐆🤩 A huge thanks to our key partners and sponsors for making the special night possible: @jackblackbeer @leopardsleap @wearewilderness @sealandgear @novaconstantia @donkeylongtong , Constantia Wine Walk and @quiznite_ct . A big shout out to @love_our_trails @reddamhouseconstantia @african_pride_tours and Africa Travel Group for also supporting our event along with the many friends and followers who joined us and pledged a donation. Last but not least, gratitude to the attending CLT staff for making it another successful pub quiz! #CapeLeopardTrust #QuizNight

Yesterday was #InternationalHyenaDay and we’re spreading some love for these misunderstood and often misjudged creatures with an attractive aardwolf from our @capeleopardtrust Piketberg survey! 🐾 The aardwolf (𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴) belongs to the Hyaenidae family, along with the brown, spotted and striped hyenas. It is a medium-sized mammal native to Southern and Eastern Africa. They are mainly nocturnal (active at night) but may be seen during early morning and late afternoon and on overcast days. They do not actively hunt other animals, but instead are obligate insectivores, meaning they completely rely on insects for food. Aardwolf feed almost exclusively on harvester termites, and a single individual can consume up to 300 000 termites (with a combined weight of 1.2kg!) in one night! One study estimated that a single aardwolf may consume 105 MILLION termites a year, amounting to 420kg!! They only occur in habitat where their main termite food source is present. There is no real evidence for the claim that aardwolf kills and eats lambs or chickens. Their teeth are not adapted to eat meat, and studies of their gut and faecal contents showed no presence of livestock remains. The misconception probably resulted from mistaken identity with hyaenas or jackals, and if an aardwolf is seen eating while hunched over a dead carcass, it is actually eating larvae and beetles. The name aardwolf directly translates as ‘earth wolf’, because it lives in underground burrows. Although they are capable of digging, they mainly use and modify burrows dug by other species like springhares and aardvarks. The aardwolf is also sometimes called ‘maanhaar jakkals’ (maned jackal) due to its ability raise a mane when threatened to appear bigger and more menacing. ℹInfo sources: Stuarts’ Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa; The Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho #TrailcamTuesday #CLTcreaturefeature #CamTrapChronicles #aardwolf #hyenaday @hyaenaspecialistgroup @hyaenaappreciationsociety

Make a note in your diary – Sunday 3 May is #InternationalLeopardDay and the @capeleopardtrust would like to invite all our supporters to celebrate the spotted big cats of the Cape! Some ideas to inspire you: 🐆🐾🐆 Channel your inner leopard and wear your best leopard-print outfit or any of our CLT merch – socks, caps, buffs or tee’s – and use the opportunity to spread awareness of leopards and the work of the CLT 🏃🚴‍♀️🥾 Dedicate your run, bike ride, hike or other outdoor activity to leopards and wear some spotty attire! 👩‍🎨🎨🎭 Make some leopard-inspired arts and crafts 👨‍🍳🧁🍪 Bake some leopard-themed cookies or cakes 📸 Take photos of your leopard day celebrations and post them to socials, tagging @capeleopardtrust in your pics and using the hashtags #GhostCatsOfTheCape and #LeopardSupporter 🐾 We look forward to celebrating with you! #FelidFriday #FridayFeelgood