Namibia (Conde Nast Traveler, October 2012)

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Collar big cats on safari  

By Hazel Lubbock 09 Oct 2012

Fast, powerful and elusive: leopards on are on the wish-to-see-list of many wildlife lovers. One of the best ways to spot the big cats responsibly in the wild is on a game drive across Namibia, thanks to its vast savannah (leopards like to hide in treetops), usually from the comfort of a 4x4. Safari-goers can get one step closer on a new 12-night conservation project in the Khomas Hochland, a mountainous area west of Windhoek. Volunteers have the rare opportunity to help capture leopard and, once sedated, fit with GPS collars that track and hold a record of their movements across the highlands. Alongside local scientists Kristina Killian and Jörg Melzheimer and an expedition leader, the group (up to 12 participants) also follow tracks, record sightings made on foot patrols, and set up camera traps that reveal information about the leopards' behaviour. The research gathered is valuable in helping to protect the species which, while not currently endangered, is highly prized by trophy hunters and at threat from poachers. Accommodation is in simple stone cottages in the midst of the savannah, where sightings of zebra, eland and kuda (antelope) are common - this is, after all, what leopards like to chase down and kill. The 12-night 'Namibia - leopard, elephant, cheetah' trip costs £1750. To book contact Biosphere Expeditions (0870 446 0801; www.biosphere-expeditions.org). Departures: 21 October - 2 November; 4 - 16 November; 18 - 30 November 2012.


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