SANParks has confirmed the first recorded sighting of a Cape leopard in the Western Cape in roughly one hundred and seventy years. The animal was photographed on camera traps in August and October in the West Coast National Park during a long-term monitoring study, stretching from Cape Town to the Berg River.

Conservationists say the sighting marks a significant ecological milestone, suggesting the species is naturally returning to an area where it was wiped out in the 1800s. They view the leopard’s presence as evidence that habitat restoration and broader landscape protection on the West Coast are beginning to show results.