Leopard Rescue Initiatives
Leopard Rehabilitation
The Rescue Centre’s resident leopard is a female, originating from the northern regions of South Africa. Notably, she is much larger than Cape Mountain Leopards indigenous to the area. Rescued from the clutches of the canned hunting industry, where she endured the cruelty of being confined within a cramped and desolate 2×2-meter concrete cage, this remarkable feline now calls ARC home.
To ensure her well-being and provide a semblance of her natural habitat, a spacious day area and comfortable night area, as well as a smaller enclosure reserved for potential medical attention, have been dedicated to her rehabilitation. Although the leopard enjoys the freedom to roam between all three spaces, she exhibits a preference for the smaller areas. It is believed this behaviour stems from the prolonged confinement she endured before her rescue.
Upon her rescue, she was severely overweight due to forced feeding, a deliberate act by her previous owners to maximise the size of her pelt for hunting purposes. Tragically, her belly had grown to the extent that it touched the ground, illustrating the cruelty and exploitation she endured in the name of profit and sport.
Now, in the caring hands of the conservation team, our resident leopard is on a path of recovery and healing. Her transformation from a victim of the canned hunting exemplifies the vital role of non-profit organisations, like Aquila’s Rescue Centre, in safeguarding and rehabilitating Africa’s iconic wildlife.
Panthera Pardus Pardus
African Leopards
KINGDOM : Animalia
PHYLUM : Chordata
CLASS : Mammalia
ORDER : Carnivora
SUBORDER: Feliformia
FAMILY : Felidae
GENUS : Panthera
SPECIES : P. P. Pardus