VIDEO: Collared red leopard earns spot in history
With the fitted collar, the leopard’s activities and travels can now be monitored and studied. In a couple of months the cat’s collar will have to be adjusted as he grows.
LYDENBURG – History was made last week when the first red leopard was collared by Gerrie Camacho of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, supported by a group of local people.
The first images of this animal were taken in December last year. Since then, Camacho has been trying to track the animal in order to collar it. On January 7 the leopard was darted and sedated and the collar fitted.
Camacho said the male was about two years old and weighing in at 48kg. What makes this so special is that it is probably the first time that an erythristic leopard can now be tracked and monitored. Erythrism refers to a genetic mutation which refers to the unusual reddish pigmentation of its fur and skin. Until recently this particular leopard shared its territory with its normal-coloured brother. “They have since split which could be why he was working extra hard. He had a large number of ectoparasites on his body – an indication of stress.”
Camacho collected various DNA samples including hair and blood while the animal was under sedation.
He said that in a way the animal’s colour might make hunting more difficult. “But the fact that these genetic mutations have been around for years, is an indication that it does not have a severe impact. He would just have to work harder to hunt than that one of a normal colour. But then again, it is a cat. You see white cats catching and stalking birds just like black ones. In the winter months he might fare better at hunts, blending in with his surroundings.”
He said this record was even rarer than the African black leopard that was spotted the first time in the mountains behind Sabie in 1952. “The first account of the African ‘red leopard’ was made in 2002 when the late Gert Stolz told me about a sighting of what he called an “orange” leopard. This, however, is the first time I have actually seen a live one.”
The animal’s movement can now be tracked via Africa Wildlife Tracking. Its satellite systems allow for tracking animals day and night, while monitoring their movements remotely from a computer. These systems allow efficient control and monitoring of wildlife in all weather conditions in near-to-real time. With the fitted collar, the leopard’s activities and travels can now be monitored and studied.
In a couple of months the cat’s collar will have to be adjusted as he grows.
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