For the first time since 2008, a leopard has been spotted at the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique.
The male leopard was spotted on the evening of March 29, by the park’s guide, Leonardo Felix Mandevo, when, just 20 minutes from the main lodge, he shone a torch through a break in palm thickets. Tourists in the vehicle were treated to seeing the leopard casually cross the road in front of them – a sight that had not been seen since 2008.
“It's an honour to have seen the leopard,” said Mandevo. “I've been here for three years and we are always trying to spot one. When I finally did I almost didn't believe my eyes. I've very happy!”
Gorongosa National Park is starting to see the return of many species after declines due to poaching and snaring. The park is at the heart of a region where the Government of Mozambique teamed with the Carr Foundation on a long-term plan to bring back to life a vast and diverse natural ecosystem, and launched the Gorongosa Project, which has recently signed strategic partnerships with landowners adjacent to the park to secure and protect key wildlife corridors and to ensure that large, connected landscapes are part of this region's future.
The 230 rangers have, since the launch of the project, been patrolling the park daily and their work has seen a 94% decline in the snaring of lions and a 60% decline in poaching in just two years.
Dr. Rui Branco, the Park's Mozambican Head of Law Enforcement, who oversees the rangers said: “Knowing the high stakes for leopard recovery, we focused intensively on securing a key corridor along the eastern boundary of the park, which adjoins vast forestry concessions and the Marromeu Reserve. We know remnant populations still exist there. This corridor is critical for the leopards' survival in this region. Today we have living proof of why this work is important.”
Rangers and the big cat monitoring team will continue tracking the leopard to try to understand more about where he is heading and if he is with other leopards in the area. “When one arrives, more are likely to follow,” said Paola Bouley, Associate Director of a carnivore recovery unit supported by National Geographic's Big Cat Initiative. “This is a male in great condition. Young males like this are the explorers who range further afield as they seek out new territories and mates, pushing the boundaries.”
Greg Carr, who has co-managed the Gorongosa Project since 2008, says: “Seeing is believing. Gorongosa is healthy. My joy doubled when I saw the happiness of our Mozambican guides who spotted the leopard. This ecosystem is their cultural and biological heritage.”
