First leopard spotting on the Hilton College Estate

Posted by Jordyn Johnson on 6 February 2023

A Hilton College teacher photographed the first leopard seen in the school’s nature reserve last week Monday, 2 February.

The leopard was first spotted by Grade 12 student, James Cole who ‘couldn’t believe (his) eyes’ when he saw the big cat sitting about 400 – 500 m away from him.

He told IOL that he felt ‘really honoured that (he) found an animal of such magnificence in (his) school’s nature reserve,’ as he knew that this sighting was extremely rare.

He reported the sighting to his teacher who took a photo on his cellphone. Later that day the school chaplain, Sean McGuigan, went to take a photo with a better camera.

‘The school confirmed that nowhere in its museum is there a picture of one of the extremely shy and solitary felines taken on the school estate. Photographs and artifacts tell the story of the institution that began in 1872.’ The school has confirmed that a leopard has never been photographed on the estate until now.

Sean Lindsey, the estate manager, said that ‘an apex predator is a good indicator that the area is well protected.’ They suspect this particular leopard is a male who may be searching for a mate and establishing his own territory, although his chances of finding a female are small.

Headmaster George Harris shared that “Hilton College takes seriously the responsibility entrusted to (them) to steward our natural resources wisely.’

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