Boland Mountains Leopard Images: 647 Thriving Population

A 2025 Cape Leopard Trust camera-trap survey in the Boland Mountains captured 647 leopard images across 72% of its stations, providing concrete evidence that the region’s little-studied Cape leopard population is healthier than earlier assumptions suggested.

Cape Leopard Trust Boland Mountains survey (2025) captured 647 leopard images — 72% of camera stations showed leopards during the 5-month study.

How many Cape leopards are left?

The question has no single answer. The Cape leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) is a genetically distinct subspecies endemic to the Western Cape, but its total population remains unquantified. The Cape Leopard Trust notes that their cumulative count of over 60 adult and sub-adult leopards photographed since 2010 does not represent a current census total — it is a running tally of distinct individuals recorded over 15 years.

“The over-60 figure is cumulative and not a current census total.” — Cape Leopard Trust

Cape Leopard Trust survey results in the Boland Mountains

The 2025 re-survey, which ran from May to September 2025, used 90 paired camera-trap stations across 2,500 km² of rugged landscape. It captured 647 leopard photographs, and leopards appeared at 72% of the stations. Using pattern-recognition software and eye confirmation, the trust identified 38 individual leopards — 22 males, 11 females, and 5 of unknown sex. At least two females were documented with cubs, and the trust confirmed that some individuals, including a female named Stella, have been recorded for more than a decade.

The implication: This survey suggests a local population density that contradicts the assumption that Cape leopards are critically rare in the Boland.

Estimated population of Cape mountain leopards

No precise total population count exists for the subspecies. The Cape Leopard Trust estimates fewer than 1,000 adult individuals remain in the wild. The Boland survey does not extrapolate to a regional total, but the 38 identified individuals in a 2,500 km² area provides a baseline for density calculations.

Where is the best place to see a wild leopard?

For guaranteed sightings, South Africa’s Kruger National Park and the private Sabi Sands reserve offer the highest leopard densities on the continent. In East Africa, the Masai Mara in Kenya and Serengeti in Tanzania are top destinations. These parks have open savannah habitats where guides track leopards daily.

Top safari destinations for leopard viewing in Africa

• Kruger National Park (South Africa) — highest leopard density in the country
• Sabi Sands Game Reserve (South Africa) — known for habituated leopards
• Masai Mara National Reserve (Kenya) — excellent open-country sightings
• Serengeti National Park (Tanzania) — large resident population
• South Luangwa National Park (Zambia) — night drives improve odds

Why the Boland Mountains are less known for leopard tourism

The Boland Mountains offer a different experience. Leopards here are elusive, nocturnal, and inhabit dense fynbos and rocky kloofs. Direct sightings are rare. Instead, the Cape Leopard Trust provides citizen science opportunities where participants can view camera-trap images and learn about conservation work.

Are there any black leopards in Africa?

Black leopards, also called black panthers, are melanistic variants of the common leopard. Melanism is caused by a recessive gene that produces excess dark pigment. While black leopards are relatively common in Southeast Asia (especially Java and the Malay Peninsula), confirmed sightings in Africa are extremely rare.

Melanism in leopards: what causes a black panther

The condition is caused by a mutation in the agouti signaling protein gene. In leopards, the trait is recessive — both parents must carry the gene. In dense rainforest habitats, the dark coat provides camouflage for ambush hunting. In Africa’s open habitats, the trait offers less advantage.

Recorded black leopards in Africa vs Asia

Asia has dozens of confirmed wild black leopard records. In Africa, the last confirmed sighting was in 2019 in Laikipia County, Kenya, photographed by a camera trap. In South Africa, no confirmed wild black leopard has ever been documented. The Cape Leopard Trust has never recorded one in the Boland or Cederberg surveys.

Did they ever find the Zanzibar leopard?

The Zanzibar leopard (Panthera pardus adersi) is classified as extinct by the IUCN Red List. The subspecies was endemic to the island of Unguja. Local belief held that these leopards were kept by witches and actively exterminated them. The last confirmed sighting was in the 1990s.

Zanzibar leopard extinction status

Despite rumors of survival, no definitive photographic or DNA evidence has been produced since the 1990s. The IUCN maintains its Extinct status based on the lack of verifiable records and the history of persecution.

Forrest Galante’s search for the Zanzibar leopard

In 2023, wildlife adventurer Forrest Galante led an expedition to Zanzibar. The team collected scat samples that underwent genetic analysis. The results were inconclusive — the samples may have come from domestic cats or a hybrid, but no live leopard was found. Galante’s team did not produce definitive evidence of survival.

What is a leopard’s biggest enemy?

For Cape leopards, the biggest threat is human activity. Habitat loss from agricultural expansion, urban development, and road construction fragments their range. Conflict with livestock farmers leads to persecution. There is also an emerging threat: rodenticide poisoning. Cape leopards prey on small mammals that may have ingested poison, leading to secondary poisoning.

Natural predators and threats to leopards

Adult leopards have few natural predators. Lions and spotted hyenas will kill leopards when they compete over kills, and they may prey on cubs. In the Boland Mountains, there are no lions or hyenas — the leopards are the apex predator. The primary risk to cubs is from other leopards (infanticide by males).

Human activity as primary threat to Cape leopards

The Cape Leopard Trust has documented multiple mortalities from farmer retaliation and roadkill. The Boland study area also records 24 other mammal species, indicating the region still supports a functional ecosystem. However, as human population in the Western Cape grows, the pressure on the remaining mountain refugia increases.

“Cape leopards are the last remaining apex predator in the Boland and Cederberg mountains. Their continued presence is an indicator of a healthy ecosystem.” — Dr. Quinton Martins, founder of the Cape Leopard Trust

“The survey produced 190,000 images — proof that technology and citizen science can give us an accurate picture of an elusive species.” — Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve

Timeline: Cape Leopard Trust monitoring in the Boland

• 2004: Cape Leopard Trust founded.
• March 2010: Boland Mountain Complex monitoring program begins as a large-scale camera-trap survey — Cape Leopard Trust.
• 2010–2024: Cumulative photographing of over 60 adult and sub-adult leopards across the study area — Cape Leopard Trust.
• May–September 2025: Cape Leopard Trust conducts Boland Mountains re-survey with 90 paired camera stations across ~2,500 km² — Ford Media.
• Late 2025: Survey results released: 647 leopard images, 72% station occupancy, 38 individual leopards identified — Boland Lifestyle.

What remains unclear

• Exact total number of individual leopards in the Boland Mountains remains unknown — Cape Leopard Trust.
• Whether Cape leopard population is increasing or stable is unclear — Cape Leopard Trust.
• Status of Zanzibar leopard: no definitive evidence of survival — IUCN.

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