Written March 17, 2016
By Laurel Martinez (University of Vermont)
The abundance of wildlife in Botswana is truly astounding. On our first drive into the bush, we encountered countless different species of mammals and birds. With eyes glued to the scrubby acacia trees outside the vehicle window, we all searched for signs of animals. From my window, I saw a patch of white and tawny blurred on a wash of green. We stopped the car and backed up. Sitting underneath a tree surrounded by tall grasses was a young male leopard taking refuge from the hot sun. We were separated by a small waterhole as we observed him from the vehicle. He looked at us from his spot near the road and bobbed his head up and down, curious to get a better look at us. Those characteristic golden cat eyes showed his alertness around our strange vehicle. We learned to identify him as a young, sub-adult leopard by the lighter pink color of his nose (adults have a darker nose). His mouth was parted, showing his large teeth, as he panted in the heat of the day. We were lucky enough to be able to observe him for fifteen or so minutes before he left the shade under the tree and disappeared into the long grass.
After we set up at Camp Dibatana, we were invited to visit Wild Dog Camp, the main research camp of the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust. We learned about all of the different projects that they’ve worked on in the past and current projects. One such ongoing project involves identifying and tracking leopards. Because leopards have unique facial spots around the mouth and eyes, a photo of the face can be used to identify them down to individuals. “Charles” and “Hershey” are the names of two leopards, among 10 others, which have already been identified by the researchers at Dog Camp. We gave them the pictures of the leopard that Ben took and it was not among any of the leopards they had already identified. It was exciting to learn that we had found a new, undocumented leopard in the wild. Going along with the candy theme, we offered “Heath” as a potential name for this new young male.
“Charles,” a leopard wearing a radio-collar put on by the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust for research purposes.
Others in the group have also spotted leopards. During an herbivore transect in NG 34, “Charles” was seen near the road. He sported a radio collar that Dog Camp uses to track the leopards, so they can check on them. However, research calls and “Charles” was left alone as the group had to finish up the transect. While seeing radio collars on animals can detract from the wild feeling of the bush, it was inspiring to find a radio-collared leopard, proving without a doubt that there are people out there who care about these animals. The researchers at Dog Camp, among other researchers across the continent, spend hours and hours learning everything about leopards, from their diet and movements to survivorship trends. It is my hope that through these conservation projects and by working with local people, animals like the leopard can flourish alongside humanity.