"A thing of beauty is a joy forever". With International Leopard Day, taking place on 3 May, we are reminded about the famous introduction to John Keats' poem, "Endymion".
The leopards of the Cape are undeniably majestic and beautiful and they should be treasured and protected to continue being the joy they are.
This urgent reminder to protect and conserve these special cats is part of the daily vision at Leopard's Leap Family Vineyards.
Leopard's Leap has been working closely with the Cape Leopard Trust for many years and knows that despite them being really versatile and adaptable when it comes to the habitat in which they can survive and the prey species they consume, leopards have lost 75% of their historical distribution. The leopard species is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species, and the current population trend is decreasing.
"The Cape leopard is the stuff of legends," says Africa Geographic. "This seldom seen, highly elusive apex predator survives in some of the most inhospitable habitat possible – the rugged, low nutritional fynbos biome of the Cape Fold Mountain ranges."
Historically home to a rich, natural wildlife, urbanisation and human development in the Cape province resulted in a much smaller natural habitat for wildlife and today many of the region’s original species, such as black rhino, Cape mountain zebra, bontebok, Cape buffalo, hippos, elephant, spotted and brown hyenas as well as wild dogs, can only be found in fenced reserves. Some, like the Cape lion, quagga and bluebuck are extinct. It might be vulnerable and under threat, but the Cape leopard still roams free.
As part of our commitment to and celebration of the leopards of the Cape, we have introduced the 2023 Pardus by Hein Koegelenberg to our collection of wines. Pardus is the Latin for panther or leopard and of course a fitting name for the elegant red blend. Inspired by the King of the Cape Mountains, Leopard's Leap Pardus expresses the magnificent Cape Mountain Leopard's charismatic play between intensity and elegance, while being gently approachable.
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