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In this issue:
• Ed sets us a Caracal Challenge
• Back on Track pushes out the boundaries
• Live video feed from a wild leopard
• Black Leopard dilemma at Paperbark Bush Retreat
‘We’ve found all the big five, now I really want to see a Caracal’.
Safari guest Ed King had great times on safari in Sabi Sands. A night spent in the big five country with Gerrie
Camacho gave Ed some wonderful memories.
Ed then set us the challenge of finding him a Caracal. Never one to back away from a wildlife challenge
Paperbark Bush Retreat staff under the guidance of head ranger Anton, put together a plan, which finally
found Greg his Caracal.
◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊
‘Back on Track continues to push the boundaries in African Safaris’.
Will Fox Operations Manager explains more.
‘Responsible Travel is relatively new to South Africa, which doesn’t always make life easy for us, but we’re
determined to set the bench mark. Our carbon neutral base at the Paperbark Bush Retreat sets a good
example.
However, it is our game viewing methods that are attracting most interest. Big Five Safari guide, Gerrie
Camacho will be familiar to anyone who has watched TV wildlife documentaries. His work with large predators
as a zoologist with the Mpumalanga Parks Board, enables us to be able to provide a real life game viewing
experience in the company of a world expert at a level beyond the ‘canned’ or package deal type safaris.
Gerrie leads big five safaris in harmony with nature, without affecting animal behaviour. Of-course animals
aren’t aware of the game lodge routine. They don’t know that they need to appear on schedule before the
game drives return for dinner. Which is why our timetable is set by animal behaviour. We may well stay out
late at night, dinner can come later. A light snack and a coffee in the bush, puts us in the right place to be
ready to move as lions begin their hunt or Hyenas move in on a Leopards kill’.
◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊
‘For us, wildlife conservation is simply a way of life’
Back on Track Safaris has been established by a group of like minded and professional wildlife
conservationists. We’re involved with many research and educational programs, but our main passion is with
Leopards and the Ingwe Leopard Project.
The Ingwe Leopard project has always been at the forefront of wildlife research and embraces technological
advances. We were the first to use global positioning systems to track leopard movement. Data from this
research is helping to define leopard movement especially in areas outside of fenced game reserves.
Our exciting news is that we can now take our research one step further by fitting a small camera to a
leopard collar. Development of this system is in its early days but we are hopeful that before the end of 2008
we will have a live video feed from a wild leopard!
◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊
Black Leopard Sightings at Paperbark Bush Retreat
Professional wildlife photographer Phil Spar came to the Paperbark Bush Retreat in search of black leopards.
As a hardened professional, his mercenary instincts were put to the test by what he found.
Phil’s story
Of-course I’d heard the stories about mythical black leopards existing in South Africa. But I’d put them in the
same category as wild tales of monsters in loch ness or of big foot. That was until I met a young zoology
graduate working with the Ingwe Leopard Project in Mpumalanga. He told me of a spate of black leopard
sightings in the mountains outside Lydenburg. I dearly wanted to be the first to photograph black leopards
living wild in Africa. Just one image would be pure gold and if there was to be a gold rush, I wanted to be the
first to stake a claim.
Following directions from my young friend, I made my way to a secluded valley, hidden away in the Leutla
Mountains. Shielded from the world, it has been the very epicentre of black leopard sightings since 1952.
Fortunately for me, a new bush lodge has been opened in the valley. The Paperbark Bush Retreat was
created to generate funds for conservation. Its warm design gives an eco-chic feel, while its carbon neutral
operation exists in harmony with nature.
All thoughts of living rough in the bush were gone. My camping gear was suddenly redundant. A spot of bush
luxury was much more to my liking.
Research has shown that this mountain region is an ancient route for transitory leopards. It is a place where
previously unknown behaviour patterns had been recorded. Behaviours that fall outside of those seen in the
artificial environment of fenced game reserves. However, there was bad news. I wasn’t the first.
A TV crew had beaten me to the valley, bringing with them a team of some of Africa’s top trackers. They’d
recorded and photographed leopards and then produced a film of their work for a worldwide audience.
Thankfully, for me at least, they’d left frustrated, without a black leopard in the can.
Of-course that should have been a warning. How could I dream of succeeding where Africa’s top trackers had
failed? Maybe there was only ‘fools gold’ in these hills. After all, seeing a normal leopard in the wild is difficult
enough. This isn’t a fenced reserve where animals have become habituated to human presence. This is wild
Africa as nature intended. And then of-course, there are the local people. With good reason, they feel very
protective about this pristine area and don’t want to see it turned into a black leopard theme park. But I was
hooked, well to be honest obsessed. I had gold fever, and all rational thought was gone.
Over the next days and weeks, I mapped out a search area based on the research of my young graduate
friend. I set out scouting cameras along game trails and very shortly started to get some good images.
Antelope, honey badgers, serval, caracal and leopards, but, sadly none of them black. My plan was to follow
leopard tracks and then set cameras to photograph them. Leopard tracks are unique to each individual, which
helped, but unfortunately for me they don’t identify colour! Each fresh set of tracks could, and frequently did,
lead to a dead end. The proverbial needle in a haystack would have been a far easier challenge.
Frustrated and dejected, it seemed that I would be forced to leave empty handed. My time was running out
and reality was calling in the shape of irate messages from the office. Then, in keeping with all good
adventure stories, at the eleventh hour, I had my piece of luck.
At first I only heard her. That distinctive sawing noise somewhere in the bush ahead.
I froze on the spot, hardly daring to breathe or make any sound. A moment later, no more than five meters
away, a small female leopard walked out. In the dappled light of the forest, I could just make out distinctive
rosette shapes on a jet-black coat. Almost ignoring my presence as only a cat can, she hesitated briefly to
glance sideways at me, before gracefully walking on. Momentarily stunned, I had almost forgotten my camera.
All professional dignity and coolness went out of the window. Fumbling at the lens, I cursed my clumsiness, hit
the ON switch, forgot the lens cover, and cursed again. Finally, as I put the camera to my eye, for the first
time ever, there was a black leopard in frame. No time to focus or adjust, I just pointed and clicked and kept
on clicking.
Later that evening, I sat anxiously waiting for my laptop to power up, desperately needing to download the
images to see them more clearly. Looking away down the valley, I noticed a dust cloud kicked up by an
approaching land rover speeding towards Paperbark. Only a few people live in the area. It looked like word
was out.
Soon after, a very uneasy farmer blustered towards me, and, even though obviously upset, he politely
introduced himself. Günter was a proud Afrikaner, now humbled. He had come to plead with me not to
publish, looking away as the pictures slowly uploaded on the screen in front of us. It was as though even a
glance would signal a conspiracy against the valley he so loved. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him.
While the story of black leopards remained a myth, the local conservancy could go on protecting these
wonderful animals. Low impact, responsible tourism is their way of quietly funding conservation. However, if
black leopard photographs were ever published, then it was very likely that their control - which had
protected these illusive animals for decades - would be lost.
That night I couldn’t sleep. My mind was in a turmoil. I’d done it, but why then did I feel like a traitor.
I was sad to leave Paperbark Bush Retreat the next day. My time in this stunning place had been
unforgettable. Will and Carol’s warm hospitality and evenings full of bush stories and laughter would stay
long in my memory. Rising early, so as not to disturb the European guests who had arrived the night before, I
quietly made my way out of the valley. On reaching the conservancy gate I looked back along the dirt road,
now obscured as it twisted away around the mountains into the hidden valley.
I could never fully express my gratitude and love for this place. I only hoped that the memory card, which I’d
left behind on the study desk, would go some way to showing my empathy with the conservancy.
Luckily, I have been able to return to Paperbark Bush Retreat and the glorious Leutla Mountains, now as a
favoured son, on many occasions since. Sometimes leading small exclusive safaris and sometimes just for
myself. Although there have been other sightings, so far the myth remains. I’ve been asked countless times if
I was tempted to keep a copy of those photographs. Perhaps my grandchildren will answer that question for
me one day.
• Ed sets us a Caracal Challenge
• Back on Track pushes out the boundaries
• Live video feed from a wild leopard
• Black Leopard dilemma at Paperbark Bush Retreat
‘We’ve found all the big five, now I really want to see a Caracal’.
Safari guest Ed King had great times on safari in Sabi Sands. A night spent in the big five country with Gerrie
Camacho gave Ed some wonderful memories.
Ed then set us the challenge of finding him a Caracal. Never one to back away from a wildlife challenge
Paperbark Bush Retreat staff under the guidance of head ranger Anton, put together a plan, which finally
found Greg his Caracal.
◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊
‘Back on Track continues to push the boundaries in African Safaris’.
Will Fox Operations Manager explains more.
‘Responsible Travel is relatively new to South Africa, which doesn’t always make life easy for us, but we’re
determined to set the bench mark. Our carbon neutral base at the Paperbark Bush Retreat sets a good
example.
However, it is our game viewing methods that are attracting most interest. Big Five Safari guide, Gerrie
Camacho will be familiar to anyone who has watched TV wildlife documentaries. His work with large predators
as a zoologist with the Mpumalanga Parks Board, enables us to be able to provide a real life game viewing
experience in the company of a world expert at a level beyond the ‘canned’ or package deal type safaris.
Gerrie leads big five safaris in harmony with nature, without affecting animal behaviour. Of-course animals
aren’t aware of the game lodge routine. They don’t know that they need to appear on schedule before the
game drives return for dinner. Which is why our timetable is set by animal behaviour. We may well stay out
late at night, dinner can come later. A light snack and a coffee in the bush, puts us in the right place to be
ready to move as lions begin their hunt or Hyenas move in on a Leopards kill’.
◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊
‘For us, wildlife conservation is simply a way of life’
Back on Track Safaris has been established by a group of like minded and professional wildlife
conservationists. We’re involved with many research and educational programs, but our main passion is with
Leopards and the Ingwe Leopard Project.
The Ingwe Leopard project has always been at the forefront of wildlife research and embraces technological
advances. We were the first to use global positioning systems to track leopard movement. Data from this
research is helping to define leopard movement especially in areas outside of fenced game reserves.
Our exciting news is that we can now take our research one step further by fitting a small camera to a
leopard collar. Development of this system is in its early days but we are hopeful that before the end of 2008
we will have a live video feed from a wild leopard!
◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊
Black Leopard Sightings at Paperbark Bush Retreat
Professional wildlife photographer Phil Spar came to the Paperbark Bush Retreat in search of black leopards.
As a hardened professional, his mercenary instincts were put to the test by what he found.
Phil’s story
Of-course I’d heard the stories about mythical black leopards existing in South Africa. But I’d put them in the
same category as wild tales of monsters in loch ness or of big foot. That was until I met a young zoology
graduate working with the Ingwe Leopard Project in Mpumalanga. He told me of a spate of black leopard
sightings in the mountains outside Lydenburg. I dearly wanted to be the first to photograph black leopards
living wild in Africa. Just one image would be pure gold and if there was to be a gold rush, I wanted to be the
first to stake a claim.
Following directions from my young friend, I made my way to a secluded valley, hidden away in the Leutla
Mountains. Shielded from the world, it has been the very epicentre of black leopard sightings since 1952.
Fortunately for me, a new bush lodge has been opened in the valley. The Paperbark Bush Retreat was
created to generate funds for conservation. Its warm design gives an eco-chic feel, while its carbon neutral
operation exists in harmony with nature.
All thoughts of living rough in the bush were gone. My camping gear was suddenly redundant. A spot of bush
luxury was much more to my liking.
Research has shown that this mountain region is an ancient route for transitory leopards. It is a place where
previously unknown behaviour patterns had been recorded. Behaviours that fall outside of those seen in the
artificial environment of fenced game reserves. However, there was bad news. I wasn’t the first.
A TV crew had beaten me to the valley, bringing with them a team of some of Africa’s top trackers. They’d
recorded and photographed leopards and then produced a film of their work for a worldwide audience.
Thankfully, for me at least, they’d left frustrated, without a black leopard in the can.
Of-course that should have been a warning. How could I dream of succeeding where Africa’s top trackers had
failed? Maybe there was only ‘fools gold’ in these hills. After all, seeing a normal leopard in the wild is difficult
enough. This isn’t a fenced reserve where animals have become habituated to human presence. This is wild
Africa as nature intended. And then of-course, there are the local people. With good reason, they feel very
protective about this pristine area and don’t want to see it turned into a black leopard theme park. But I was
hooked, well to be honest obsessed. I had gold fever, and all rational thought was gone.
Over the next days and weeks, I mapped out a search area based on the research of my young graduate
friend. I set out scouting cameras along game trails and very shortly started to get some good images.
Antelope, honey badgers, serval, caracal and leopards, but, sadly none of them black. My plan was to follow
leopard tracks and then set cameras to photograph them. Leopard tracks are unique to each individual, which
helped, but unfortunately for me they don’t identify colour! Each fresh set of tracks could, and frequently did,
lead to a dead end. The proverbial needle in a haystack would have been a far easier challenge.
Frustrated and dejected, it seemed that I would be forced to leave empty handed. My time was running out
and reality was calling in the shape of irate messages from the office. Then, in keeping with all good
adventure stories, at the eleventh hour, I had my piece of luck.
At first I only heard her. That distinctive sawing noise somewhere in the bush ahead.
I froze on the spot, hardly daring to breathe or make any sound. A moment later, no more than five meters
away, a small female leopard walked out. In the dappled light of the forest, I could just make out distinctive
rosette shapes on a jet-black coat. Almost ignoring my presence as only a cat can, she hesitated briefly to
glance sideways at me, before gracefully walking on. Momentarily stunned, I had almost forgotten my camera.
All professional dignity and coolness went out of the window. Fumbling at the lens, I cursed my clumsiness, hit
the ON switch, forgot the lens cover, and cursed again. Finally, as I put the camera to my eye, for the first
time ever, there was a black leopard in frame. No time to focus or adjust, I just pointed and clicked and kept
on clicking.
Later that evening, I sat anxiously waiting for my laptop to power up, desperately needing to download the
images to see them more clearly. Looking away down the valley, I noticed a dust cloud kicked up by an
approaching land rover speeding towards Paperbark. Only a few people live in the area. It looked like word
was out.
Soon after, a very uneasy farmer blustered towards me, and, even though obviously upset, he politely
introduced himself. Günter was a proud Afrikaner, now humbled. He had come to plead with me not to
publish, looking away as the pictures slowly uploaded on the screen in front of us. It was as though even a
glance would signal a conspiracy against the valley he so loved. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him.
While the story of black leopards remained a myth, the local conservancy could go on protecting these
wonderful animals. Low impact, responsible tourism is their way of quietly funding conservation. However, if
black leopard photographs were ever published, then it was very likely that their control - which had
protected these illusive animals for decades - would be lost.
That night I couldn’t sleep. My mind was in a turmoil. I’d done it, but why then did I feel like a traitor.
I was sad to leave Paperbark Bush Retreat the next day. My time in this stunning place had been
unforgettable. Will and Carol’s warm hospitality and evenings full of bush stories and laughter would stay
long in my memory. Rising early, so as not to disturb the European guests who had arrived the night before, I
quietly made my way out of the valley. On reaching the conservancy gate I looked back along the dirt road,
now obscured as it twisted away around the mountains into the hidden valley.
I could never fully express my gratitude and love for this place. I only hoped that the memory card, which I’d
left behind on the study desk, would go some way to showing my empathy with the conservancy.
Luckily, I have been able to return to Paperbark Bush Retreat and the glorious Leutla Mountains, now as a
favoured son, on many occasions since. Sometimes leading small exclusive safaris and sometimes just for
myself. Although there have been other sightings, so far the myth remains. I’ve been asked countless times if
I was tempted to keep a copy of those photographs. Perhaps my grandchildren will answer that question for
me one day.
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