Leopards have returned to South Africa’s Western Cape after more than 170 years of absence. Conservationists have identified seven individual leopards in the region using a network of 60 cameras spread across 300,000 hectares. The Landmark Rewilding Trust says the animals appear to have established territories rather than simply passing through.

The return has prompted local landowners to create protected areas for the predators. At !Khwa Ttu Cultural Village near Yzerfontein, Michael Daiber and three neighbours established a 4,000-hectare conservancy in 2026 to support wildlife and provide prey for the leopards. Conservationists believe the animals may have moved south from the Cederberg Mountains.

But the return has raised concerns among livestock farmers, who fear losing animals to predators. Farmer Julian Melck says leopard attacks could result in both financial losses and personal distress. Conservationists are now working to protect the leopards while addressing tensions between wildlife and communities sharing the landscape.