The contribution of recognised science to the understanding of the ecology of Panthera Pardus across its entire range is currently incomplete. There has historically been a focus of research in controlled areas due to the low anthropologic impact. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that protected areas are impacted on by the effects of their surrounding land use methods. Movement of large carnivores has been repetitively proven to ignore park boundaries. The importance of managing large carnivore populations outside of protected park parameters is not only important for genetic integrity but also for species distribution. A prime example is Mozambique’s Gorongoza National Park and the vast wild lands to its east. Land use models on the eastern border include indigenous hard woods forestry, sustenance agriculture, sustenance hunting, trophy hunting and eco-tourism. Understanding the effect of these industries on the wildlife is core to the management thereof. Modern technology permits citizen scientists to add to a knowledge cloud through submissions of valuable collected data. Under guidance of our competent scientist, volunteers can participate in the collection, processing and distribution of credible data that can directly assist with the conservation of these wild lands and all the flora and fauna that inhabit them.

The expansive wilderness north of the town Beira, Mozambique reaching up to the Southern banks of the mighty Zambezi River and incorporating all the land stretching from the ocean westwards to the boundary with the epic Gorongoza National Park is the current research area.

The Leopard research project offers to a restricted number of volunteers the wonderful activity of spending 14 days in the life of the elusive forest Leopard. The prime data collection method is BIOPSY DARTING – a technique used to gather genetic information with a negligible intrusion trade-off. The treed leopard is darted with a specific projectile designed to harvest a small sample of skin, hair and flesh. Simultaneously the capture/recapture method using remote camera traps is used to supplement the genetic data by gauging territoriality and movement. The modern GPS collars that are favoured by the research team provide the most accurate monitoring plus a remote 'drop off' feature that eliminates the necessity to recapture the leopard to remove the collar. Occasionally an adult female is captured and fitted with a GPS tracking collar that produces intricate details of the territoriality of this feline’s little-known ecology.

All collection methods, processing and interpretation of data are supervised by Dr Lourens Swanepoel, a highly recognised and experienced ecologist.