This was the method in use during a program to study a population of about 500 extremely rare, critically endangered leopards in South Africa. About 23 of the leopards now wear GPS trackers, and there are also infrared cameras hidden in their habitat to provide even more detailed information on their activity. The program, led by a conservation group called the Landmark Foundation, gets assistance from a government organization, CapeNature. Under normal circumstances, the partnership works well.

In September 2011, however, an official with CapeNature ordered that one of the tracker-fitted leopards be shot after it killed two calves belonging to a local farmer. Judging that the predator’s presence in the area posed an unacceptable threat to local cattle farmers, the official gave the order and the leopard was killed.

Conflict between farmers and endangered predators is not a new or local problem. Further north on the African continent, lions and humans are in constant tension in many areas, struggling to balance habitat preservation with the safety of both farm animals and humans. In some cases, a single problem animal can be transferred to another area, but a South African leopard expert says that relocation does not usually work with leopards.

Obviously, this situation has created a rift between the Landmark Foundation and CapeNature. The Landmark Foundation is indignant over what it labels an illegal killing of an extremely rare animal, while CapeNature insists the killing was the only possible solution to the problem. This disagreement places the entire study in danger, as cooperation between the two groups is necessary for success. It appears that there may be additional problems with communication, as the Landmark Foundation says that it would have been willing to pay for protection for the farmer’s cattle in the form of an electric fence and even guard animals. They say the leopard was so valuable to the species’ recovery that any expense would have been acceptable in order to keep it alive.