Involved Leopards

Ximungwe 5:3 Female

Ximungwe 5:3 Female

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Thumbela 4:3 Female

Thumbela 4:3 Female

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About the Author

Dan Hirschowitz

Ranger

Dan developed his love for the African bush whilst growing up on a family run farm in the Kwa-Zulu Natal midlands. Growing up in the bushveld he was surrounded by wildlife and finds his passion in what nature has to offer. After completing ...

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12 Comments

on How Much Time Do We Actually Spend With Wild Animals ?

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I agree with you Dan, that the impact on the animals is kind of zero. They are free to come and go as they please at Londolozi. Sometimes I even have the feeling that some animals enjoy being watched and appreciated.
However, that’s only true for Londolozi and other good areas that protect the animals and their lives.
Sadly there are still too many areas where this is not the case. In Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas, you name it.

It is an interesting observation as to how little time we as humans actually spend with the animals in the bush. Thank you for your insight Dan.

You make a good point, I hadn’t really thought about that.

I’ve always found it odd that the fauna just learn to ignore the jeeps and not just wonder off as we approach them.

Hi Dan, it is surprising to hear the times spent observing the wild animals on Londolozi ground. A person does not realize how much time is used up driving around and viewing these incredible,stunning leopards and other animals. The Ximungwe female and her male cub the Ntomi males are the two leopards that I love seeing in the images we get from Londolozi. Ntomi male with his spek in his eye is such a stunning leopard.

Senior Digital Ranger

I’m surprised if none of the animals came closer or walked through camp investigating the difference of noise levels.

Thank you for presenting that information. That is pretty amazing to think as often as you see animal interaction-predator activity on each drive it is such a minuscule percentage of their activity. How did the cubs and other babies differ in their behavior after 2020 if there was less human/jeep animal activity? Anything notable?

Terrific blog Dan. It is amazing to think that whilst one is observing a leopard for an hour or so, perhaps on a kill or moving through its territory, there is no guarantee that during following drives, you will see that leopard again. From personal experience I know this to be true. And so I’m satisfied with the knowledge that in spite of all the daily visits by vehicles in the reserve, there is no impact to the wildlife or environment.

Dan, Thanks for your mathematical analysis! It was incredible to us that the ranger team kept up with the videos and images throughout the pandemic. It was one of the things that helped us with a little bit of normalcy during those challenging times.

Great blog post.

This is because Londolozi is strict about controlling the vehicles and movements of vehicles. So many locations do not comtrol this. And therefore the effects on a cat’s daily activity is much more pronounced. Thankful for your excellent management!

You all respect the wild life there I have zero doubt! The wonderful film The Year the Earth Changed does answer the question of human impact on wildlife in less ‘wild’ environments. Must see watch if have not already.

Great blog Dan, agree 100% with your calculations. Perhaps it may be a different story with some of the migratory bird species – some interesting papers on the impact of low aircraft activity during the shut down!

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