RACING FOR LEOPARDS 

Hey everybody!

We're the Landmark "Racing for Leopards" team and we work in South Africa's Cape region on rare Cape leopards. We comprise of Alex Braczkowski, Ricard Muller and Anna Haw and are participating in an endurance cycle challenge called the Trans Baviaans which represents the single longest endurance cycle stage race in the world (230 km in 24 hours).

We are doing this in order to raise funds for the Landmark Foundation's leopard and predator project which we currently serve on. Our work focuses on leopard-human conflict on livestock farms, leopard corridor establishment and the development of a leopard friendly meat, mohair and wool brand which will give you the consumer a choice to support farmers who look after their wildlife.

Unfortunately like the rest of the world, most of South Africa's natural heritage lies outside of protected areas. The same applies for predators like leopards whose major populations are found outside parks and reserves, instead on farms, rural zones and even outskirts of major cities. 

The Foundation started researching the leopards of the Cape in 2004 through a dire need to find out more about their numbers, demography and overall population status. We now have 100 camera traps distributed throughout the Cape and 17 leopards "on air" with GPS collars. Unfortunately leopards like this one remain under threat. Many of them are still hunted, poisoned and gin-trapped (a pressured steel trap used to maim and kill predators on some livestock farms). Our research has recently shown that few of these animals remain in the Cape. Due to their large ranging requirements (sometimes in excess of 60 000 hectares per leopard) there are now thought to be no more than 40 adult cats in the Baviaanskloof mountains and just 25 in the forests of the Garden Route. In genetic terms if the forest and mountainous populations fail to connect they may face a near future extinction.

The TransBaviaans race goes through the heart of an area where the Landmark Foundation has worked with farmers to stop gin trapping and the hunting of leopards at the same time reducing any losses inflicted by leopards on their stock. Eight leopards have been monitored here with GPS collars and many leopards rescued.

These leopards need our help. Please sponsor us in ou plight to "Race fo leopards". Be assured that all contributions go towards building a conservation economy to ensure leopards and other predators remain a vital part of our eco-system.

Whether you donate R5 or R5000 you will be helping to fund camera traps, GPS collars, diesel to help us get from farm to farm or even keeping a leopard alive direct through our farmer re-compensation scheme.

Help the Landmark Foundation's Leopard and Predator Project today! We're going to be suffering 230 km for every penny spent!

Anna, Alex and Ricard.

Alex is unfortunately unable to race this year, but will be doing support for Anna and Ricard on their epic adventure.