The leopard next door

Except for lions, which live in prides, and cheetahs, which form male coalitions of two or three brothers, most cats are solitary. Males and females each have distinct territories that they mark and defend. Leopards are a great example of this kind of system. Males generally have larger territories, which overlap those of the females. The only time you’ll see more than one leopard together is when a female is with her offspring or during a brief mating rendezvous. Once mating is done, the male departs and the raising of the litter is the sole responsibility of the female. After a gestation of around three months, one to three cubs are born. This is the most difficult time for the litter. Although the female leaves them in a well-concealed den like a rocky cave, a disused aardvark burrow or under flood debris, they’re still at risk to predation by hyenas and pythons. Cub mortality is high and one of the most depressing sights to observe, especially when you’ve followed a cub’s progress since birth. Leopards are notoriously resilient and incredibly tolerant of human habitation. They have a wide habitat range, found everywhere from tropical forests to high mountains and even semideserts. In India there are populations that live in the last remaining forests on the outskirts of cities like Mumbai, preying on feral dogs and unattended livestock. Possibly the best example of how leopards have eluded detection in an urban environment in South Africa is in the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate near the Kruger Park. It’s a housing estate and residents had always spoken about leopard sightings, but it was only when photographer and field guide Villiers Steyn moved to the estate and began setting up camera traps that he revealed just how many leopards visit the estate, and how frequently they move through.