PEAK RIDGE FOREST CORRIDOR (PRFC) UPDATE - JULY 2024
The Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT)
In early 2024 we secured additional cameras that enabled us to monitor a locations that had not had cameras for some years. These locations, on the NW sector of PRFC – specifically Osborne Estate’s Upper and Midford Divisions, ensured that the entire 18-km long ridge was now being monitored again (Fig. 1). Unfortunately, in June, one of these – at the Upper Division in proximity to the “Hatton Foliage” property - was stolen, leaving again a small monitoring gap along the ridge, with a new location to be identified soon.
Fig. 1: The Peak Ridge Forest Corridor (PRFC) shown in red, with the long-term monitoring remote camera locations (white circles with black centre). Also shown is Elbedda Ridge Corridor (ERC - yellow) and the Western Ridge (blue).
Despite these ongoing issues, we have gathered a substantial amount of information about the leopards of PRFC so far in 2024 and gain additional insight into their ecology and behavior in this fragmented, unprotected landscape. For example, the Midford estate area shows this part of the ridge to be very active, with 5 different individuals detected here. The resident female, “Ola” has been in this area for > 5 years as we first got her on camera here in 2019 (Fig. 2). She is the fourth leopard on PRFC that has been resident for so long, which suggests that although there are numerous threats on this landscape, individuals can sometimes successfully navigate those threats for extended periods. “Ola” was photo-captured on one occasion with another leopard of similar size that may be her latest, almost mature cub, and she was subsequently photo-captured together with a young adult male leopard, which typically only occurs when leopards are “courting”, the prelude to mating and starting the reproduction cycle over again.
Fig. 2: Resident adult female “Ola” in the Midford region of PRFC in 2019 (left) and 2024 (right).
From years of observations in this landscape, we know that female leopards here start to mate again when their existing cubs are ~12 – 14 months old, with those cubs typically moving out from their natal (birth) area a few months later. If cubs have died, females come into oestrous much earlier. The gestation period for leopards is ~90 days, so often we see females with signs that they have cubs ~3 months or so after they are seen together with a male. From the 14 litters of cubs that we have detected over the past 8 years on PRFC, at least 7 individuals have been recruited into the adult population, with the number possibly higher as some individuals may well move out of our remote camera stations range. This is important as it shows that this area is not simply a population sink for leopards but an active, robust, reproductive population.
The young adult male leopard with whom “Ola” was courting and who appears to be a resident of this area, we were able to trace back to a single image of a cub on Dunkeld estate in 2021 (Fig. 3). To reflect the fact that he was detected on these estates, we named him “O’Duncan”. It is highly likely that he was the 5th known litter of “OC”, a resident female in the Dunkeld/Osborne/Kelani-Braema area since 2016. That he moved only ~8km from his natal range is very interesting and is similar to another male cub that we monitored that moved from Kew estate (where he was born) to the Elbedda Ridge where he is now an established resident male. This was a move of ~9km.
Fig. 3: Male leopard “O’Duncan” as a cub on Dunkeld estate in early 2022 (left), and as a young adult resident on Osborne’s Midford estate in 2024 (right).
Also in the Midford area, is an older adult male, “Saint”, who we first detected on St. Helier’s estate on what we call the Western Ridge (Fig. 4). Although we currently aren't monitoring this Western ridge, it is likely he also utilizes this area as well, especially since he was photo-captured on the Osborne Upper camera that monitors a regular crossing point between PRFC and the Western Ridge. Another young adult male was also detected here, with his status yet to be properly determined.
Fig. 4: Adult resident male “Saint” on St. Helier’s estate in 2021 (left), and in 2024 at the Upper division of Osborne estate in 2024 (right).
Near our research station on Dunkeld estate, “OC” remains active as ever, and is currently with a cub from her 6th known litter that is roughly 1-year-old (Fig. 5). This small, grizzled female has contributed tremendously to the PRFC leopard population with at least 4 of her cubs reaching adulthood (and another nearly there). One of her cubs “OK”, born in 2019, had cubs of her own in the Dunkeld/Glentilt area in late 2022/early 2023. Unfortunately, “OK” was killed in a snare on Rockwood estate in April, however one of her cubs (at least) is still on the landscape and is now ~18 months old, which is typically the age that leopards here become fully independent (Fig. 6).
Fig. 5: Long-term adult resident female “OC” (left) and her most recent cub (right) on Dunkeld estate. This is the 6th litter that we know of that “OC” has produced since 2016.
Fig. 6: “OC’s” 2019 cub “OK” was killed by a snare on Rockwood estate in April 2024 (left), leaving her cub (or possibly cubs) to fend for itself. It appears that it has successfully done so as it remains on the landscape 2 months later (right).
Fig. 7: “DYF” has settled as a resident on PRFC after moving from the Western Ridge where she was first detected in 2021.
Another adult female resident, “DYF” shares space with “OC” on Dunkeld and also can be found on Osborne estate. “DYF” was first detected in December 2021 on Dickoya estate near Dickoya town, then later at Ingestre estate on the Elbedda Ridge. In 2023 she re-surfaced on Dunkeld estate (~8 kms distance) and has settled there despite the presence of “OC”. So far there are no signs of “DYF” having cubs.
The resident male from this area (Dunkeld/Osborne/Kelani-Braema/Glentilt/Norwood/Brownlow), “Norman” remains active and there is a new male “Wedge” that is moving into the Kew/Venture/Norwood/Alton/Gauravilla/Stockholm area, possibly due to a gap created by “Newton”, the resident from that area who we have not seen since January (Fig. 8). A couple of other males have appeared briefly in the Kew area which does suggest that there are some changes happening here with various individuals trying to establish territory. This usually happens when an established resident (like “Newton”) dies/shifts. The resident female here, “Kween” may be ready to mate again, as her cub is now ~1 year old (Fig. 8).
Fig. 8: Adult resident male “Norman” investigating an earlier scrape mark on Dunkeld estate (left), with new male “Wedge” (centre) and resident female “Kween” (right) at Kew estate.