A group of kayakers on the Storms River got a big surprise during their morning trip when they came across a leopard stuck on a cliff on 19 May. They called in the help of SANParks and the NSRI, who successfully darted the leopard and retrieved it from the gorge.
‘First time we ever had a leopard on our kayaks!’ tour operator Untouched Adventures said. The female was severely injured and was euthanised.
‘There was no chance of rehabilitating her back into the wild. We believe this to have been the best humane option in the situation. The presumption is that she must have fallen from the cliffs above,’ said the Landmark Leopard & Predator Project – South Africa who were involved in the rescue.
‘High praise goes to the NSRI (Alwyn and Lood) for mounting this rescue effort. Also to Wildline (Arnold) and SANParks (Dr Dave, Jessica and staff from the Tsitsikamma NP), and Dr Willem (for his willingness to help) and we really value the tremendous collaborative effort from all those involved, sad as this outcome was,’ the organisation added.
Picture: Untouched Adventures
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