Panthera Leopard Census on Zimanga

The GVI team at Zimanga was recently given the opportunity to assist in the positioning of camera traps throughout the reserve in order to catch a glimpse of the resident leopard movement. This is part of a regional census being conducted by world renowned cat conservation organisation, Panthera. You can read more about the project here.

Checking the batteries and SD card are a biweekly responsibility

Four of the volunteers, together with the reserve manager, set off into the reserve equipped with slashers, camera traps and GPS devices. The proposed locations of these camera sites were carefully selected prior to this, inline with Panthera's objectives, taking into account preferred leopard habitat and previous sightings, as well as attempting to ensure the reserve was evenly covered. It didn’t take long for the volunteers to get a hang of setting up the cameras and fixing them in position. It is hoped that within the next few months we will capture a rare glimpse of the elusive leopards and hopefully a few welcome visitors as well. Added to the data collected across the region, our efforts will hopefully assist Panthera and Zimanga in furthering the strides already made in leopard conservation.

Joe Ellis

Long Term Intern

GVI Zimanga

Panthera Leopard Census on Zimanga