Panthera Partnership Leopard Research

Panthera’s Sabi Sand leopard research

Despite inhabiting a wide range of habitats, leopards are among the most persecuted big cats globally. Although often assumed to have a secure conservation status, illegal killings for their skins and other body parts, retaliatory killings due to human-wildlife conflict, and poorly regulated trophy hunting severely impact their numbers.

The Sabi Sand Nature Reserve is home to one of the highest densities of leopards found anywhere in the world. This global conservation success story is underpinned by a long-standing flagship research and monitoring project led by Panthera, making it the best-protected and best-studied leopard population worldwide. The well-protected environment and sensitive game-viewing practices have ensured an extremely relaxed demeanour in the leopards. The Sabi Sand Leopard Project utilises the extensive experience of field guides to convert leopard sightings from photographic safaris into high-quality biological data. Here, leopards are individually identifiable, providing invaluable observations of their locations and behaviours collected daily. This data informs ecological, behavioural, and management questions, aiding conservation efforts in areas where leopards are under threat.