On the 17th of July 2012, Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre’s animal curator, Christo Schreiber, was contacted by the Leopard Conservation Project (LCP). They were bringing yet another leopard to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre. The LCP and Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre have been working together for some time now to keep our magnificent leopards safe and healthy.
This specific leopard was brought in from a farm near Elisras. After killing seven of a farmer’s animals, the farmer decided to set up a cage (without a permit) to catch the animal. Once the leopard had been captured, the farmer notified Nature Conservation, and they sent Fred – of the LCP – to confiscate the leopard from the farmer and bring him to the Centre for safekeeping. The leopard will be kept at the Centre for a few weeks to monitor its wellbeing, after which it will be collared and released back into the wild.