The Cape Leopard Trust has compiled years of conservation work into a beautiful coffee table book that is being launched this week.
Western Cape, South Africa (28 February 2023) – The Cape Leopard Trust is celebrating nearly two decades of conservation work with a beautiful coffee table book detailing the history of the Cape Leopard. The non-profit has worked hard to conserve the wild spaces these free-roaming predators call home, working with farmers and the public to ensure their safety.
The leopard is the last large predator and the last member of the Big 5 to still roam free in the Cape provinces. The species faces multiple threats, including limited and fragmented habitat, reduction in prey numbers and high levels of conflict with people.
“Our purpose and vision is to ensure the continued survival of leopards for the benefit of nature and society, by supporting the protection of their habitat and prey species, promoting peaceful coexistence between leopards and people, and fostering community custodianship of the Cape’s unique biodiversity.”
Tomorrow, the 1st of March 2023, marks the release of a new coffee table book, Against the Odds – The remarkable story of leopards at the Cape that celebrates these big cats and conservation efforts to protect them.
The book has already received an incredible endorsement from Dame Jane Goodall. The book’s Foreword was written by Dr Ian McCallum and the magnificent cover image was taken by National Geographic photographer Steve Winter. The book was made possible thanks to generous funding from the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust.
It is a 144-page hardcover book filled with high-quality photographs that reveal the magnificence of leopards at the Cape. The book, written in accessible narrative style by environmental journalist John Yeld, explores the early history and persecution of leopards in the region and how attitudes to these cats have changed over the past 400-odd years.
It delves into the birth and coming of age of leopard research and conservation at the Cape, with a focus on the Cape Leopard Trust and the people who have made the organisation what it is today. The book features poignant personal accounts from various role players who have dedicated much time and effort to secure a future for leopards and shines a light on the importance of these truly wild and elusive felines.
“Leopards are special animals that embody, in a unique way, the essential qualities of wildness that we value and strive for in ourselves – independence, unpretentiousness, patience, spontaneity, authenticity, untameability … freedom?” – Dr Ian McCallum, renowned poet, psychiatrist, conservationist and trustee of the Cape Leopard Trust.
If you would like to support the Cape Leopard Trust, you can order a copy of the book via the website here.
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