A sickly subadult male leopard was safely captured in a residential area in Komatipoort, Mpumalanga, yesterday.

According to Lowvelder, the leopard was first sighted in the town’s streets on Sunday night.

The managing director of Wild and Free Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (WAF), Deidre Joubert, says several role players came on board to capture the animal. She adds that they placed a cage where they suspected the leopard was sleeping at night.

“We believe it was not yet fit and ready to hunt for itself. It was therefore looking for easy prey, such as dogs and cats,” says Joubert.

She explains that after word of the leopard sighting went viral, people started driving around at night with spotlights hoping to see it. “This made the leopard more agitated and dangerous,” adds Joubert.

When the leopard was eventually captured, it looked thin and sickly. “The leopard posed a real threat to the public and while its appearance in a residential area raised concerns, only the wildlife vets will be able to confirm whether it was sick or injured, which may have led to this behaviour,” says Joubert.

Dr Peet Venter, a local vet, sedated the leopard before it was transported in a bakkie. It was handed over to the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency.

The role players included the local Community Police Forum, Securicon Komatipoort, Terence Porter of Nkomazi Municipal Rangers, and Mark de Beer of WAF.

“A huge thank you to everyone involved. Teamwork and dedication to both human and wildlife safety made this possible,” says Joubert.

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