At 06.30hrs on Tuesday morning 12th March, 2013 a large mature African Black Leopard darted across the R532 in front of a passing motorist. It was approximately 20 meters ahead of the vehicle, and was seen no more than 10km from Sabie.

The motorist was completely unaware of the fact that the African Black Leopard even existed.

This is the first positive identification of an African  Black Leopard made in the vicinity of the town of Sabie – ever.

Over the decades there have been sightings mentioned at various spots. There was one seen on the road to Pilgrim’s Rest many years back. Brian Jones saw one at Hartebeesvlakte in 1952. Another was seen in the vicinity of Badplaas but also many years back. It was virtually a case of the African Black Leopard being despatched into the files of legend, like so many other wild life species over the previous centuries.

According to predator specialists in the region Leopards have actually become man and domestic stock eaters, not from preference, but by virtue of the fact that their habitat has gradually but dramatically decreased through pressure on the environment because of so many various demographic challenges.
There have been a frequent number of other Leopard sightings over the past year or two in the Sabie region.

A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. In the Americas, wild ‘black panthers’ may be black jaguars (Panthera onca), while in Asia and Africa, black leopards (Panthera pardus); in Asia, possibly the very rare black tigers (Panthera tigris). Smaller wild cats, like jaguarundi, may also be black.

Captive black panthers may be black jaguars, or more commonly Black Leopards. Melanism in the jaguar (Panthera onca) is conferred by a dominant allele, and in the leopard (Panthera pardus) by a recessive allele. Close examination of the color of these black cats will show that the typical markings are still present, but are hidden by the excess black pigment melanin, giving an effect similar to that of printed silk. This is called “ghost striping”. Melanistic and non-melanistic animals can be littermates. It is thought that melanism may confer a selective advantage under certain conditions since it is more common in regions of dense forest, where light levels are lower. Recent, preliminary studies also suggest that melanism might be linked to beneficial mutations in the immune system.

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Cyclists competing in the various cycling events over the years have not infrequently come across leopard near the mountain trails, especially near Maritzbos. On one occasion they encountered a leopard in one of the cuttings there unperturbedly walking in the opposite direction. It made way as the cyclists determinedly carried on with their race.

Recently one of Sabie’s residents saw a leopeard casually sauntering down the road next to his fence in Engelhard Park. Apparently they’ve been seen in the forest behind Mount Anderson as well.

Timber contractors have seen leopard over time, and in fact reported a sighting of Black leopard at Maritzbos a number of years ago.

Recent reports on stock losses in the mountainous area behind Sabie towards Pilgrim’s Rest have surfaced, and concerned parties are sure it is Leopard. One farmer has lost 4 Stud Drakensberger calves in no less than 4 months and another farmer 3 calves in one month!

According to the farmers concerned, Leopard spoor has been found near the carcasses. One calf that managed to escape was partially mauled and badly scratched – fortunately the calf survived after it was treated by the farmer ! According to them the financial loss runs into many thousands of rand’s !

The ecological value of these predators cannot be over emphasized though, and they need to be conserved at all costs! However we must also be aware of the stock farmers plight and a win-win situation needs to be reached to protect the farmers interests !

Leopards prefer indigenous species to prey on, but where natural prey has been reduced, they could begin to prey on livestock. They have strong jaws and long canines and typically kill by biting the back of the neck but will also bite down on the throat. Their nails are sharp and retractable and multiple scratch marks may be seen, indicating where the front claws grabbed the prey to hold it down. They can drag their prey considerable distances and it has been recorded that they can drag a carcass (calf) up to 3 kilometres from the original killing site. They also hide the carcasses either under a bush, in a thicket, down a hole or up a tree(Smuts).

Feeding behaviour includes eating the haunches, shoulder and internal organs but the intestines are removed and left intact. Hair may also be removed on certain parts of the carcass and rib ends may be chewed and in smaller animals the thigh bones are also eaten leaving hardly any remains! Leopards return quite frequently to their kills and where hyena are present, they will carry the kill up a tree (Smuts). The following non-lethal methods can be used to control these predators:

Guardians: Anatolian Shepherds & Donkeys, Human, (also Llama or Ostrich-very effective). Protective Collars: King and Dead Stop – very effective. Management: Kraaling, Lambing/Calving Season, Lambing/Calving near homestead (Smuts)

Removal by using cages/live-traps is proven to very effective and successful. Poison controls are NOT recommended. Hunting dog packs are NOT recommended, as it is neither selective nor humane. Log-hold devices / gin traps should NOT be used (Smuts).

Of all the cat species, the leopard is the animal that evokes the most emotion and passion with ecologically minded activists. As such it, and the cheetah, have played an important role in the debate around developing ecologically sound, holistic non-lethal methods of control for predators !

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Red Leopard

Mr Egbert Hiemstra, a farmer in the district, was called by Mr Pieter van Niekerk who saw the leopard lying in the road. Van Niekerk removed the carcass and Hiemstra went to collect it. “I could see the colour was a bit weird. We knew there were variants but weren’t aware of the fact that this was such a rare case.” He said several cars had stopped when he arrived and bystanders were already discussing what parts of it they wanted. “This animal’s black market price is very high. I basically only rescued the carcass and phoned the parks agency to come and collect it.”

Hiemstra said they occasionally found leopard prints on the farm but they hadn’t seen one recently.

According to Mr Gerrie Camacho, predator expert of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), this particular genetic mutation is extraordinary. “This appearance is even scarcer than the African Black Leopard that was spotted in the mountains behind Sabie in 1952. The first account of the African “Red Leopard” was made in 2002 when the late Mr Gert Stolz told me about a sighting of what he called an “orange” leopard. “Although we have had various cameras installed to observe them in the region, there has never been a sighting of an erythristic leopard. This is the first time I have actually seen one.”

According to Camacho, there is a seemingly healthy population of normal-coloured leopard and this now indicates the possibility of having three different genetic mutations for colour in this area. Camacho said there could be several explanations for it. “What is very rare in this case is both factors contributing to the condition, the absence of black and the abundance of red, are visible. This could not be linked to albinism which is a congenital disorder characterised by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to the absence of melanin.” The hide could not be saved as rigor mortis had already set in when Camacho began the examination.

After the animal’s body was examined by Camacho it was discovered that it had been suckling until about a month ago. “If the litter survived, the cubs could be about four to six months old as leopards suckle for three months. This could also have been its second litter in its lifespan. The cat was a fully grown female that weighed in at 48kg and according to the teeth and ears, was five or six years old.” Upon closer inspection one could see the definite absence of black pigment. The nose, back of ears, gums and paws were predominantly pink.

Should there be any sightings of leopard cubs roaming near the area where the feline was killed, residents are urged to contact Tourism Marketer for assistance on 013 764 1177.

The only other reported sighting of such erythrism in a leopard was in April last year in Madikwe Reserve on the Botswana border.

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Call our Dream Merchants for exciting Wildlife, History, Scenic or General Interest tours in the Panorama, Kruger, Lowveld regions or beyond on
013 764 1177

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The Delagoos Berg, Mount Anderson, Formosa Mountain and Mauchsberg are all mountain peaks in the Mpumalanga section of the Drakensberg, which make up the ranges surrounding Sabie and Pilgrim’s Rest. A number of River Systems with marvellous Trout Fishing potential have their sources in this range.

On the Eastern side the streams are the source of the Sabie River, while on the Northern side the streams running towards Pilgrims Rest are some of the sources of the Blyde River.

The Sabie River itself has the reputation of being the cleanest river flowing towards the Indian Ocean in the RSA. One of the reasons for this bonanza is that the source consists of a mass of crystal clear mountain streams that are filtered through indigenous natural pristine forests and virgin protected and undisturbed territory until the Sabie River proper is formed. Trout fishing takes place before there can be any form of pollution at all until the River reaches inhabited banks where there are industries and human settlements.  The River flows over level terrain for the stretch between Horse Shoe Falls, Lone Creek Falls and Sabie town.

The River meanders gracefully providing pools, stretches, corners and all sorts of other fishing spots. Eventually the river reaches and feeds Lake Olaf.

The Sabie Trout Angling Club maintains these waters in a pristine state, through the proactive dedicated hands of a passionate management team. The River is judicially but regularly stocked with Rainbow trout on an ongoing basis. A while ago I heard a seasoned trout fisherman say that in Sabie he had discovered the best-kept trout fishing secret in the RSA. The Sabie River presently hosts what is known as the best “flowing river trout fishing” experience in Mpumalanga.

The Sabie
Trout Angling Club
(Established 1949)

“We have borrowed from Nature a piece of her most beautiful bounty. We respected, nurtured and maintained it for more than 55 summers so that those who visit us a long time hence, will still find it to be the best river fly-fishing venue in Mpumalanga”.

The Blyde River passing North/East of Pilgrim’s Rest demands a focused, energetic, innovative and dedicated effort at hunting your quarry, or you will not land your catch. The water is fast, the fish are lively and the going is tough. For the truly devoted Trout fisherman the Blyde will provide you all the satisfaction of a worthwhile experience and will give any of the best trout fishermen a run for their money.

On the Western side of the range the streams flowing West are the source of the Finsbury and Klein Spekboom Rivers, which eventually flow into the Spekboom Rivier, which in turn eventually flows into the Olifants River.

Trout fishing on the Finsbury and Spekboom Rivers is exceptionally well-organized, well known and carefully exploited. The fishing is mostly from weir banks near conveniently placed artificial rapids. There is however also excellent stream and free river fishing available.

Organized tours with offbeat top-class full fare experiences are available.

Spend time with us in Sabie an enjoy comfortable accommodation at give away prices while you savour the dainty morsels that we have to share with you. Peruse our website www.sabie.co.za

Call us at 013 764 1177

Email us at : johnt@tripsza.com