Every leopard has a story: Chitabe’s data-driven research project

What makes the project so compelling is these regular field observations have led to something much bigger, showing who the leopards are, where they are seen, and what patterns have started to appear. ‘The real strength of the Report lies in the guides and field team,’ says Dr Mariëtte van der Walt, Wilderness Group Biodiversity Coordinator, who is working with Dave to turn this information into something more tangible. ‘Their long-term knowledge, photographs, and careful records have turned everyday sightings into a living archive of known leopards, their movements, and their stories. The archive covers the Chitabe leopard photo library from 10 August 2014 to 25 May 2026, bringing together 863 leopard sightings across 428 days, covering 12 years, with 64 known leopards recorded. All of that only exists because of consistent effort on the ground by the amazing guides.’

Earlier this year, the Wilderness Trust funded three Canon EOS 2000D cameras with attachable GPS receiver units for the guiding team to help continue building the project.

The archive was built using a three-pronged approach: Guides photographed leopards over the years, building a record of who was seen, where, and when. Then the archive was cleaned – repeated photos from the same sighting were grouped together so the record reflects sightings, not camera bursts. Finally, the record was explored to look for simple patterns in location, season and space use. 

What has become evident is that ‘typical’ leopard behaviour is, in fact, not that typical at all. ‘What is really interesting is how the leopards share space,’ says Dave. ‘That goes against the old idea that leopard territories are always neat, strict, and separate. It shows a more flexible picture, where the leopards share the same landscape in different ways. Female leopards seem to keep out of each other's way the most, which makes sense because they need food, shelter, and safe places to raise cubs. However, while male leopards are expected to wander over much bigger areas than females, that is not what we have seen in Chitabe. Males seem to share space much more, both with females and with other males.’

The maps suggest that several known leopards use neighbouring parts of the same landscape, with some areas lying close together and others more clearly separated. It also shows that guests have a similar chance of seeing a leopard whenever they visit, with sightings almost evenly split in the wet and dry season. 

The nine leopards that appear most often in the current archive include Mosadinyana, who was first see in August 2014 and is the longest-known leopard to the team.

Rradikolobe is one of the best known males in the area. ‘He is photogenic and it’s always exciting to see a big male like him,’ says Guide Robert ‘Rob’ Obonye. ‘He’s a master in taking down warthogs – hence his name (‘big warthog’), adds Field Co-Ordinator Emmanuel ‘Emmax’ Tule. ‘His art of hunting is incredible. He does it with quiet powered precision.’

Rose, also a regular, ‘is our most beautiful female,’ says Ebineng ‘Ebs’ Rabosigo, who has watched her grow over the years. ‘Rose is named after a beautiful Wilderness Air pilot by the same name… but the name has another connotation – it’s a perfect name for the beautiful rosettes on her golden coat,’ says Aaron Samunzala. ‘She is also a master of survival and has managed to be successful in an area where she has tough competition from big prides of lions and clans of hyenas. She has grown accustomed to vehicles and often gazes at guests in a captivating and inquisitive way. This allows for great pictures.’

It’s not surprising that most of the guides have their favourites. Both Phinley Mwampole and Goodman Mafwira Ndlovu point out Mosadinyana for her reliability over the years. ‘She is very relaxed,’ says Goodman. ‘And she has been very successful in raising many cubs in the concession,’ adds Phinley. 

Antony Rantaung and Seako ‘Duke’ Motlakatshipi love Mojeremane for his confidence and strength. ‘He takes no nonsense,’ says Anthony. ‘He just walked in and took over dominance in the concession,’ adds Duke.

For Odumetse ‘OD’ Modikwa, it’s the Maun Road Female, another of the top nine, with 59 sightings since February 2019. ‘She does well raising cubs in the Chitabe area.’

As Project Co-Ordinator, Dave doesn’t offer up a favourite – it’s simply whichever leopard he is watching at the time.

As much as the sightings and behaviours are being documented for a report, every entry is so intensely personal. ‘Every result in this report begins with people in the field noticing, remembering, and photographing leopards,’ says Mariëtte.