The White Lions of the Klaserie and Timbavati have become reasonably well known over recent times, and now it’s the turn of Stawberry Leopards in the Madikwe Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
Safari tourists to Madikwe had reported sightings of the unusually coloured leopard, but recently photographer and guide Deon De Villiers managed to capture the leopard in a photo.
He then sent the image to experts at Panthera, which is a wild cat-conservation group, and asked them elaborate on the leopard’s odd coloration.
Luke Hunter, the president of the group, believes the predator suffers from erythrism, “a little-understood genetic condition that’s thought to cause either an overproduction of red pigments or an underproduction of dark pigments.”
“It’s really rare—I don’t know of another credible example in leopards,” said Hunter, whose group collaborates with National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative.
Hunter added, “it’s surprising that [a photo of the leopard] didn’t come out sooner, because he’s relatively used to vehicles.”
By all accounts, the leopard has suffered no ill consequences because of its unusual colour and is a successful hunter. Isn’t nature wonderful!
Buffalo Ridge, Thakadu River Camp and Morukuru are out favourite safari lodges in the malaria free Madikwe Game Reserve.
