Modern Weights and Measurements of Leopards

[Pckts]

From Landmark Leopard & Predator Project - South Africa:

Another leopard has been killed in the Eastern Cape by predator hunters in Alicedale, near Grahamstown. This happened on 12 January 2017. 

This is the result of ongoing wars on predators on private property by hunting dogs and damage animal "control" hunters. It is claimed there was no intent to hunt a leopard in this instant and the leopard was shot in self defence. This is the usual legal defence by hunters in such instances and usually it results in inaction by the authorities. The legislation is designed to be ineffective! Surely it is conceivable that a leopard would attack once dogs are used to hunt and corner it. We would argue express intent was there to kill an attacking animal once collared, inclusive of leopards that are known to be in the area. The hunters did and should have foreseen this reality. This constitutes grounds for a prosecution: 1) the act of killing of a protected species without a permit, and 2) the intent must have been there when it is known that leopards are in the area and you go out hunting with dogs; then you must have known of the possibility of a leopard being cornered and attacking. If you claimed you were not willfully hunting leopard you must have foreseen that this scenario could play out. It is our view that intent is thus legally present and that the authorities must prosecute as criminal action and intent is present. The Eastern Cape "Green Scorpions" have over the years been utterly useless for the protection of leopards and when clear criminal intent and criminal was proven still did not prosecuted these atrocities.

The reality is that the South African legislation is useless in protecting leopards and other such species, not to mention the authorities tasked will implementing this legislation, and that the hunting lobby is hard at work to try get the moratorium on leopard hunting lifted this year. Many authorities have an aversion to prosecuting these cases and thus the slow slide to oblivion for these species continue.

The injured worker on the farm leads a team of 12 dogs on the daily hunting of jackal and caracal on this "reserve". Hunting with dogs is in itself an illegal activity! This leopard has been identified and monitored in the wider area for at least two years and was thus free-roaming.

The size of the leopard, weighing 113kg, is unheard of for free-roaming leopards of the region. (They are much smaller than their northern counterparts.) The largest leopard we have interacted with in the entire Eastern & Western Capes (having been involved with more than 100 rescues over the years) was 59kg. It is almost certain this is a leopard brought in from up north, which in itself is a situation that warrants investigation.

Place of the incident: Burchell Private Game Reserve, Alicedale, Near Grahamstown, Eastern Cape which operates in tandem with the hunting enterprise, namely Frontier Safaris: 042 231 1302 [email protected] http://frontiersafaris.com/contact

Hunter that shot the leopard: Dale Venske: https://www.facebook.com/dale.venske

Injured ranger: Zwelake Dyan employed at Burchell Private Game Reserve.

THE REPORT FROM THE EP HERALD TODAY STATES:

A farmworker narrowly escaped with his life when he was mauled by a massive leopard which attacked him in dense bush on an Eastern Cape game reserve.

The drama unfolded during a pest control expedition when the animal pounced on Zwelake Dyan – employed at the Burchell Private Game Reserve near Alicedale – and was subsequently shot by a member of the party.

Dyan, 60, was part of the group hunting small predators on the game farm on Thursday morning when he suddenly came across an “unusually large” leopard that attacked him and ripped into the left side of his face.

Now, while he is recovering in Settlers Hospital in Grahamstown, the Green Scorpions are investigating the incident. Dyan said he had his dogs to thank for saving his life. “It happened so quickly,” he said from his hospital bed yesterday.

“By the time I spotted the leopard it was already preparing to charge me. It jumped right into my chest, knocking me down and I went unconscious. Reply