South Africa: Seven leopards return to the West Coast after 170 years of absence

Seven leopards, including two cubs, have been identified on the West Coast of South Africa, a region where the species had been exterminated in the mid-19th century, marking an absence of more than 170 years, reports Africanews on September 28, 2026.

From a first snapshot to a small population

The return was first established through imagery: a leopard was captured by a camera trap in the West Coast National Park, a first confirmed in 170 years as announced on November 12, 2025, according to Cape Town Etc. South African National Parks (SANParks) stated at the time that the animal, which had been eradicated in the mid-1800s, had returned naturally. Monitoring has since established the presence of seven individuals. "A historic event for conservation," summarizes Dr. Jeannine McManus of the Landmark Rewilding Trust, as quoted by the Voice of Nigeria, noting that the leopard is the last large predator roaming free across a large part of its South African range.

Twenty years of fieldwork

This return is no coincidence. According to Cape Town Etc, it is the result of two decades of ecological restoration involving the Landmark Leopard and Predator Project, SANParks, the University of the Western Cape, the Saldanha Bay Municipality, and private landowners. The goal was to reconnect fragmented habitats between the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape, and the Northern Cape so that wildlife could move freely. JP Louw, a spokesperson for SANParks, sees this as proof that long-term partnerships and coexistence between humans and wildlife produce measurable results. The expansion of private reserves and ecological estates has also increased the available space.

Farmers between pride and concern

The situation is not without tension. Farmer Julian Melck describes the emotional and financial distress caused by attacks on his livestock, reports the Voice of Nigeria. Operators were already suffering losses due to smaller predators like the caracal and fear that leopards will exacerbate them. Conservation organizations are working with them on compensation mechanisms intended to reduce the cost of predation, although the precise details have not been specified.

A still fragile recovery

The seven animals do not yet constitute a viable population, emphasizes Africanews. But the signal is significant: at a time when Africa is most often described as the theater of wildlife disappearance, a species that had been gone for more than a century and a half is returning on its own, because African researchers, national parks, a university, and local residents have patiently stitched a landscape back together. The future will depend on the ability to reconcile two legitimate interests: that of the farmers who live off their livestock and that of a predator reclaiming its place.