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Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers stunned after trail cameras capture elusive big cats in rare habitat: 'This is an incredibly hopeful moment'
An elusive South African plains dweller made two cameos on a clever camera trap placed by nature watchers to spy on the region's iconic creatures, according to a Miami Herald story. The cameras were placed as part of the Landmark Foundation's Leopard Conservation Project in De Hoop Nature Reserve with support from the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation. The 30 "traps" took 4,223 photographs during 50 days. Two photos of African leopards were among the most exciting images captured, per the Herald's reporting. "This is an incredibly hopeful moment," Morukuru Family co-founder Ed Zeeman said in a May news release from the family. "To confirm the presence of not one, but two leopards, is a testament to the power of patient, long-term conservation work." Other images include baboons, Cape grysboks, and honey badgers. The leopards are considered to be one of "nature's best-kept secrets," according to the experts. "This is exactly the kind of data we hoped to uncover," the Foundation's general manager, Bool Smuts, said in the release. Leopards are considered "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. The species is listed as extinct in a long list of countries, including Cambodia and Israel. Trail cameras are great tools for capturing hard-to-spot creatures to confirm their existence and health. Sometimes, though, a hard-to-classify animal is photographed, puzzling experts. Alaskan outdoors officials have used cameras to monitor wolf health. Documenting their numbers and activities as they feast on carcasses can provide valuable insight, according to the state's Fish and Game Department. And the University of Minnesota said that predators are crucial parts of the environment, keeping certain prey species from becoming overpopulated, creating an unbalance. "For example, wolves can prevent beavers from damming streams and creating ponds that turn forests into wetlands," according to the university report. It's part of the specific role each critter plays, impacting our food system. Bees and other insects pollinate three-quarters of crops that fill our tables, Our World in Data noted. Fruits, cocoa, and coffee beans are among foods that rely on pollinators to some degree. Certain butterfly and bumblebee counts in 17 countries dropped by 25% since 1991, partly due to deforestation, pesticide use, and other human actions. Other populations remain stable, but the impact is troubling, the report continued. Do you think people should be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets? Yes No It depends on the animal It depends on the person Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. You can help to keep tabs on the creatures in your environment, too. Trail cameras cost less than $40. You might be surprised by what is passing through your backyard at night. The National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count is a great way to help track population health, simply by documenting what you see at feeders from your kitchen window. Taking a walk to observe birds has other benefits, as well. "It heightens the senses up again. It kind of refreshes your instincts," veterinarian Scott Bastian, a bird expert from Southwestern Pennsylvania, said in a story by the Daily American about a count from 2019. You could even incorporate birdwatching into a routine daily trip. By walking and watching, instead of driving, you will prevent heat-trapping tailpipe exhaust that harms humans and animals alike. A gas car spews thousands of pounds of planet-warming fumes each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It will be interesting to see what creatures are captured next by the growing number of forest-watching cameras being deployed. "Camera traps offer a non-intrusive way to monitor rare and wide ranging species like leopards," Smuts said in the Herald's report. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Miami Herald
13-05-2025
- Miami Herald
‘Silent, solitary and seldom seen' creatures caught on trail cam in South Africa
In the plains of South Africa, a group of creatures have been dubbed Africa's Big Five for their renowned strength, iconic image and appeal to tourists. The group — including lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants and the African buffalo — are scattered across the landscape, but some are easier to see than others. It's hard to miss the towering elephants or a pack of lions led by a large male, but the club's most elusive member blends perfectly into the nooks of trees or the grassy and rocky landscape. African leopards are 'silent, solitary and seldom seen,' and remain 'one of nature's best-kept secrets,' according to the Morukuru Family and Morukuru Goodwill Foundation, a hospitality group operating out of South Africa's De Hoop Nature Reserve and the Madikwe Game Reserve. In February, the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation announced support for the Landmark Foundation's Leopard Conservation Project in De Hoop Nature Reserve, an effort that would install camera traps in the reserve in hopes of monitoring the leopard population that calls the park home, according to a Feb. 11 news release from the Morukuru Family. More than 30 traps were set throughout the reserve, and now, some of those images are being viewed for the first time. The traps ran for 50 days and took 4,223 images from the reserve, and they caught 'an exciting development,' the group said in a May 2 news release. Not only was a leopard photographed, but there was more than one. 'This is an incredibly hopeful moment,' Morukuru Family co-founder Ed Zeeman said in the May release. 'To confirm the presence of not one, but two leopards, is a testament to the power of patient, long-term conservation work — and meaningful collaboration. It underscores our shared commitment to protecting not only leopards but the broader biodiversity of De Hoop.' One of the leopards was identified as a male, roaming in a certain area of the reserve, while the other is suspected to be female, and occupying a different sector, the family said in the release. 'Leopards are keystone predators — crucial to maintaining ecological balance,' Zeeman said in the February release. 'By investing in this project, we are contributing to the protection of this species while also creating a platform for education and engagement.' Leopards are listed as 'vulnerable' worldwide, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and their numbers are decreasing. 'This is exactly the kind of data we hoped to uncover,' Bool Smuts, general manager of the Landmark Foundation, said in the release. 'Camera traps offer a non-intrusive way to monitor rare and wide ranging species like leopards. The presence of a male and possible female suggests a viable range and the potential for population stability, provided we continue to protect and connect these habitats.' Populations of leopards live across Africa south of the Sahara Desert, on the west side of the Arabian Peninsula, throughout the Middle East and across southern Asia into China, according to the IUCN. The camera traps also picked up images of 17 other mammal species, ranging from caracal cats and porcupines to honey badgers and bushpigs, the family said. Photos of the animals were shared on the organization's blog. De Hoop Nature Reserve is located on the southwestern coast of South Africa, about a 150-mile drive southeast from Cape Town.
