Prey of leopards in four mountainous areas of the south-western Cape Province

Scat analysis was used to determine the natural prey of leopards Panthera pardus in the mountains of the southwestern Cape Province, South Africa. A total of 258 scats were collected in four mountainous areas, the Cedarberg near Clanwilliam, Gamka Mountain near Oudtshoorn, Jonkershoek near Stellenbosch, and Wemmershoek near Paarl. Dassies (rock hyrax) were found to be the most frequent prey in all areas except Wemmershoek, where feral domestic pigs were most often present in the scats. Small antelope were the next most important group, occurring in between 29% and 51% of the scats from each area. Small percentages of baboons, rodents, lagomorphs, reptiles, birds and insects were also recorded. Only two scats contained remains of domestic stock, which suggests that leopards in the higher mountains are able to subsist on the natural prey available.