Leopard hunting
The topic of leopard hunting has always been shrouded in controversy with the most common arguments revolving around the ethics of baiting, hunting from a blind, using hounds and hunting at night with the use of a spot light. It is difficult to apply the same rules to leopard hunting in general as all regions have their own unique topography and history of pressure on the leopard population. This then has a direct effect on the way leopards are hunted there. For example, in an area such as the Kalahari, which consists mainly of sparse vegetation and soft sand, it is more practical to track leopards on foot than it is in an area where the ground is hard and the bush is thick. In the same way topography and pressure will affect the necessity to hunt at night with the aid of a spot light.
In our Niassa blocks, which are dominated by tall grass that can reach up to fourteen foot high, it is just not practical to track leopards on foot like in the Kalahari. In areas where the grass is burned and the ground is bare, the chances of tracking a leopard are equally as slim as the soft pad and light gate of the sleek cat will leave no impression in the earth. This is not to say that it can’t be done. What it does mean, however, is that the chances of success are far less compared to baiting and sitting in a blind. At the end of the day a leopard is an extremely alert and intelligent animal and even hunting from a blind is a huge challenge and not guaranteed.
The use of a spot light is legal in Mozambique and many cats are taken at night with its use. Leopards are nocturnal animals and the difference between one that comes into the bait at night versus one that feeds during the day often has no rhyme or reason. While conducting our first leopard hunt of the 2009 season, we set up a series of trail cams at bait sites, but with no blinds or people to cause disturbance. We had one large tom feed at 13h45 in the mid day heat, a female that fed just after last light and a young male that would come to the bait like clockwork at midnight. We conducted this study during a new phase moon when you would think all the cats would be feeding just before dark. We find the leopards in our Niassa areas to be much more likely to come into baits during daylight than say more “educated” cats in places like Zimbabwe where years of pressure have made them smarter. The explanation for the different feeding times of these leopards could be anything from the proximity to water, to the temperament of the individual animal or even to some other disturbance it may have encountered on its way in to the bait.
We are lucky to operate two concessions in the Niassa Province in what may well be the most densely populated area for leopards left in Africa today. The large amount of small prey such as duikers, warthogs, cane rats and guinea fowl along with very light hunting pressure are the primary reasons for this. Topography in our area dissuades us from tracking leopards like in the Kalahari, but the history of light hunting pressure dictates that the cats, even very old toms, will come into baits during daylight and hence we opt to shoot our cats, of which we currently boast 100% success rate, during daylight hours. Even though we do not see night hunting of leopards as unethical, watching a cat in the tree during the day is much more enjoyable for the client and ourselves.
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Matt Hulley-Miller, MD Safrique
