A family visiting Plettenberg Bay were bowled over when they stumbled across a leopard basking in the sun on the shore at Whiskey Creek.
The Ver Loren van Themaat family were in a canoe enjoying a leisurely trip along the water’s edge when they came across a leopard relaxing on the shore, minding its own business. The animal didn’t seem too spooked by their presence, and allowed them to capture some great footage.
According to a post shared by Plettenberg Bay Tourism, there are wild leopards that roam the greenbelt of the national park and surrounding areas. To see one so relaxed is truly an incredible moment.
The Keurbooms Nature Reserve, where Whiskey Creek is found, can be explored on foot, via boat rides or canoe trails. Besides the elusive leopard, which are very rare to see in person, it is a lush destination filled with other wildlife like the vervet monkey, the shy blue duiker, beautiful grysbok and mongoose. For twitchers, bird species in the area include Knysna loerie, giant kingfisher, Knysna woodpecker, sunbirds and yellow-billed ducks.
Leopards are difficult to track, so it is difficult to definitely say how many are left in the Western Cape. Data from the province gathered from recent studies on leopard movement suggest there may be less than 500 in the Western Cape region.
Video credit: Ver Loren van Themaat family
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