WILDLIFE
Durban - Game fences are often mere obstacles in the way of leopards that roam the bush country of northern KZN, where three were spotted near the N2 this week.
This is according to Janet Cuthbertson, owner of the Leopard Walk Lodge, 13km from the highway and adjacent to the False Bay section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
She recalled seeing, a couple of months ago, a leopard and cubs, all darting up a tree that was next to an electric fence, when her vehicle approached.
She believed they then used their perch to drop down into a neighbouring property.
“It would be a great help if there were more road signs warning of the presence of wildlife,” Cuthbertson said.
Ezemvelo’s spokesperson Musa Mntambo dismissed any suggestion that the three leopards sighted on the N2 on Thursday had escaped from any sanctuary.
“Like animals such as snakes, jackals and hyenas, leopards are free-living in many parts of KZN. They are found inside and outside the protected areas.”
He said that spotting the shy creatures was a rare occurrence, and people lucky enough to see them should “appreciate its beauty”.
Earlier this year, there was much excitement when a schoolboy made the first recorded sighting of a leopard on the Hilton College estate.
The Independent on Saturday