Leopard in backyard makes for a rare sight

BARBERTON – What would you do if you see a leopard in your backyard? This is exactly what happened to the Cocks who reside in Kellar Street, “And no, it was not a serval (tierboskat),” said Kerrin Cocks. She should know, after all, she grew up in the Johannesburg Zoo, where her dad was the director.

On the Saturday after Christmas at approximately 07:00, the Cocks were already busy with their daily chores. Chris was in the front garden and Kerrin in the laundry room. They became aware of a baboon making a racket, but being so close to the koppie, they have become used to this over time.

However, Kerrin still grabbed her one-year-old and their Jack Russell and took them to safety.
“At that stage I still thought it was the baboons, because not so long ago they went on a rampage. They had also chased the monkeys,” said Kerrin.

She proceeded to go out onto the front lawn to where Chris was standing and they realised that something was very wrong. They saw a fairly big, juvenile baboon floundering hysterically from tree to tree in a blind panic making the most awful noises as it went along.

“We were still watching this when we saw the baboon being pulled down by something. We immediately suspected a leopard, as we could hear the typical, low grunting after everything quieted down.”
Their curiosity got the best of them and the couple went to get a better view.
“We could hear the distinct breaking of twigs and a footfall and then we saw it.”
There, roughly 10 metres in front of them, in the shadows they saw the leopard.
“There is no doubt in our minds of what we saw. It was fairly big and looked like a male. He was moving from left to right and only minutes later we heard the crunching noises and the low, grunting and breathing while he was feasting on the baboon.”

They believe it was definitely older than two years. “It was such an amazing experience that we didn’t even think about being afraid. For the rest of the day I kept thinking that perhaps we would see him again, but we think the fireworks a few days later scared him away.”

Barberton Times approached the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency and was given a number to contact in Barberton.
We would like to know if this incident should be investigated. It occurred almost in the backyard of a private residence where house pets and children were present. Also, why would a leopard wander so far from his natural habitat to hunt for food?
Did the leopard just pass through or might it still be in the vicinity and shouldn’t its presence be investigated?

After numerous attempts, the number we were given, 013-712-7512, just kept ringing and the lady who answered the phone at the parks agency didn’t have any other number.
We also left detailed messages for a certain Lindiwe at the parks agency to return our calls.
At the time of going to print, our attempts have been unsuccessful.