Two Leopards Arrive at Majete Wildlife Reserve
The Daily Times (Thom Khanje)
“Two leopards arrived last week at Majete Wildlife Reserve in Chikhwawa from South Africa under an animal restocking programme that is being implemented by Africa Parks, a company which is managing the reserve under a concession with the Malawi government.
The transfer of the two leopards is part of the programme to gradually introduce big cats back into the park which started in October 2011 with the introduction of two leopards relocated from the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
The 70,000 hectare Majete Wildlife Reserve has been a success story since African Parks assumed management in 2003, with more than 2,550 head of wildlife, including elephant, buffalo, sable and black rhino, introduced to the park over eight years in a project that has, so far, cost more than $2.4 million.
Six more of these magnificent cats will be introduced to Majete as part of this programme – in pairs.
The introduction of leopard is the penultimate step in the Majete restocking programme, which will culminate in the reintroduction of lions in 2012, according to Africa Parks.
Until the launch of this project only one viable population of leopard existed in Malawi within the Nyika National Park. These leopards coming at Majete are the first to be introduced to Malawi across international borders, and the first leopards to make their home in Majete for nearly two decades.
African Parks Field Operations Manager Dorian Tilbury told the online ‘Wildlife Extra News’ on Tuesday that the company’s mission is to restore, restock and rehabilitate Majete to the condition it was in before human impact.
“A vital component of the natural system, leopards has been the first big cat to be introduced because they have less of an impact on prey species than lion, which is the other indigenous predator to be re-introduced to Majete,” the on-line publication quotes Tilbury.
Kelly White, managing director of the Malawi Travel Marketing Consortium said: “The work African Parks is doing at Majete is set to have a phenomenal impact on tourism in Malawi, particularly for the safari industry.”
The leopards – a male and a female – were caught in rural South Africa after their hunting spree wreaked havoc on farmers’ ostrich populations.
At the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in northeast South Africa, where the leopards spent a few weeks before the move to Malawi, they are quickly sedated, inoculated against rabies and cat flu, washed, and put into cages on the morning of their journey.
The male is 22 months old and the female 17.
“We’ll have to wait a year or two before they can reproduce,” explains Brian Jones, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre’s director.
At Majete, each of the leopards is wearing a collar that sends a satellite signal so park officials can track their movements.
Proclaimed in 1955, the Majete reserve suffered extensive poaching which severely depleted its animal numbers.”
REAWR | Big-Cat Conservation 
It’s great to see some good news for a change! These leopards could have easily been shot after “wrecking havoc” on the farmers’ ostrich population. Cudos to those who chose not to do so, and considered the bigger picture.