Leopard kills Cape fur seals

Tuesday 19 May 2020

For several years the movements of an adult male leopard were monitored around the Uniab Delta. The leopard was captured on several camera-traps that were placed in the area to record the movements of lions. During the past week spoor reconstructions revealed evidence of the leopard catching and killing a juvenile Cape fur seal on two occasions. On both occasions the leopard killed the seal on the beach. One carcass was dragged 1.6km to the Uniab Waterfall and another was dragged up a 6-metre embankment for 900m to a thick reed-bed. These are the first confirmed cases of leopards as maritime carnivores and feeding on marine food items.

Camera-trap images of leopard
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Uniab waterfall where leopard stashed seal carcass
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Leopard dragged seal carcass for 1.6km to Uniab waterfall
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Beach where leopard killed seals

Leopard dragged seal carcass up embankment for 900m to reed-bed
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Remains of juvenile Cape fur seal killed by a leopard

Two prides of lions have recently utilised the coastal habitat in the Northern and Central section of the Skeleton Coast National Park where several confirmed cases of predation on Cape fur seals were recorded.

Cape fur seals at Koigab colony

Two lionesses lying at a seal carcass that they dragged 600m inland
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Spoor of lions hunting along the coastline
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