All language subtitles for The End Of The Big Cats s01e02 Leopards.eng

( peaceful music)

- [Narrator] Africa,
the third largest

continent on the planet.

The world's great
reserve of biodiversity.

But in a few short years, urban
development has accelerated,

creating densely
populated new cities

and spreading asphalt and
cement over what were,

until recently,
unspoiled rural areas.

Despite this vertiginous
rate of progress,

the forest savannas, valleys,
and deserts in Africa

are still home to a
quarter of the world's

4700 species of mammal.

Among them, animals have become

symbols of the
planet's wildlife.

Hippos, antelopes, giraffes,

rhinos, and the big cats.

Lion, leopards and cheetahs.

Over the last 150 years,

animal populations and
their natural habitats

have shrunk dramatically.

Meanwhile the human
population of Africa,

almost a billion people,
is doubling every 20 years.

Placing enormous
pressure on wildlife

which is forced to
compete for land,

fresh water, and food.

Today, Africa has
1200 protected areas

which cover some two
million square kilometers

and represent around nine
percent of the continent's

total area.

Some of these areas
are in Namibia,

the least populous
country on the continent

which has preserved the
largest areas of wilderness.

Here, as in
neighboring countries,

the most successful
national parks

cater to a thriving
tourist industry

that provides benefits
to the local community.

Yet outside these areas,
the situation for wildlife

is catastrophic.

Most Africans still
live off the land

depending on crops and pasture.

Even where soil
is of poor quality

and water is scarce.

Mankind is the principal
rival, enemy, and threat

to all other species.

The apex predator of Africa,

threatening the very existence

of the great carnivores
of the animal kingdom,

The lion, the leopard,
and the cheetah

in a desperate
fight for survival.

The big cats live in the
shadow of this threat.

Their reign of the African
wilderness is almost over.

Is this the end of the big cats?

They're spectacular
animals of great beauty

with extraordinarily
physical abilities,

highly specialized for
hunting their prey,

and surviving in the
most hostile conditions.

But none of these
characteristics

are of any use to them as
they face the disappearance

of their habitat.

The ongoing persecution
of these animals

makes it probably that
they will soon be gone

from their remaining
habitats in the wild.

To survive only within
the confines of parks

as part of controlled
breeding programs

to supply the tourist industry.

This has set alarm bells ringing

for naturalists across the world

who have begun
intensive campaigns

to raise international
awareness of the situation.

- And I think if
population growth continues

in the world over the long run,

there won't be space left
for large predators, I think.

If we as a human species
continue to reproduce

at the rate we are doing,

we will not be able to save
enough areas for wildlife.

That is the sad reality.

- The big question
is, how do we manage

coexistence in the future?

To avoid that these animals
will only persist in captive

scenarios or in very
small government parks.

- This is the struggle.

If the youth of tomorrow
prefers to do PlayStation

and sit on the
internet and Facebook

and doesn't
understand how we heal

and how we survive
by being in nature,

how nature keeps us
balanced, how we need nature.

If the generations that
are coming are not aware

of how nature is
being destroyed, there will be no nature.

- [Narrator] The
plight of the big cats

has been ignored by most
of the world's major

media organizations.

Governments and society
have neither the time

nor the desire to tackle
problems that are not regarded

as high priorities
compared to issues such as

economic growth
or public health.

No one dares to equate
the decline in wildlife

with problems of a social
or political nature.

Meanwhile, one of the
animals that have suffered

most persecution at
the hands of humans

all over the planet
is the leopard.

It is highly prized by
poachers for its skin.

It is the big cat with the
worst reputation among farmers

because of it's
predatory instincts

and it's elusive nature.

The leopard, until
relatively recently

to be found across Africa,
the Arabian Peninsula,

and Asia, adapting to any
habitat except the desert

is now subject to
constant harassment.

There is no reliable data
on it's current population,

but a rough estimate
suggests that there are

100,000 individuals
across the world,

more than half of them
on the African continent.

Research has shown that
leopard population density

has fallen dramatically
in recent years.

Some leopard subspecies,
such as the snow leopard

or the Amur leopard, are
critically endangered.

And others, such as
the Zanzibar leopard,

are already extinct.

The great hunter, the
most agile, powerful,

and beautiful feline is
reduced to pleading for mercy

from it's main enemy, man.

At the beginning of
the 20th century,

few of the peoples
of Sub-Saharan Africa

were agriculturalists.

They lived by hunting.

And the forests and the savannas

were an endlessly
replenished food store.

Africans saw leopards
as powerful neighbors.

They admired their elegance
and their skill as hunters.

But their presence was
also seen as a threat,

and worse, as competition.

While men were armed
only with spears,

the big cats were
at a disadvantage

but not endangered.

With the advent of firearms,
this relationship changed.

Leopards began to
be exterminated

and their habitats were
reduced to uninhabited areas

in central and southern Africa

where their numbers
continued to fall.

The slaughter intensified
between the 1960s

and the 1990s when
big game hunting

became a popular pastime amongst

wealthy North American
and European families.

Attracted by the excitement
of killing a wild animal,

whether it was lion, a
leopard, an antelope,

a buffalo, or an elephant.

Poaching further accelerated
the leopard's decline.

Their heads, skins,
paws, tails, and teeth

filled the trophy
rooms of hunters

who claimed that leopard
hunting was a challenge.

One hunter measuring his
strength against another.

But this idea of a
contest between equals

was a flagrant misrepresentation
of the reality.

A leopard's weapons, it's teeth
and claw although powerful,

are not match for
a rifle bullet.

From the 1990s onwards,
many African countries

began to realize the
extent of the killing

and enacted laws to
protect wildlife,

limited legal hunting, and
working to prevent poaching.

The slaughter of big
cats has been curbed,

but continues unofficially

because whenever a new village,
town, or small farmstead

is built, leopards are faced
with a possible dilemma,

The destruction of their habitat

and the loss of their prey

forces them to look for
food wherever they can.

Attacking chickens, dogs,
or a village's livestock.

When this happens, the
leopard is signing it's own

death sentence.

A conservation community
wants to overturn

these prejudices
against big cats.

For Natasha De Woronin,
Director of the Global

Leopard Project, the biggest
threat to the leopard

is ignorance and unfounded fear.

She has been studying leopard
behavior for many years

and considers them to
be the most fascinating

big cats of all.

We accompanied her to
spend a whole day observing

a female leopard fitted
with a tracking collar.

She gave us her perspective
on the issue of conflict

between leopards and humans.

- The leopards and people
live very, very closely.

So, where you've got farmlands

which is a big part
of Africa still,

leopards are naturally
part of those farms.

And if the wildlife is
removed from the farms,

leopards naturally are
gonna' start taking

the next easiest prey,
which is very often

the livestock that the
farmers are trying to farm.

You can't explain to a
leopard, "You can't eat that."

And so there needs to
be a relationship both

between these two creatures
that they can live

together in harmony.

And a leopard that
eats livestock,

a farmers not a
horrible man at all.

He doesn't say,
"Shoot the leopard,"

because he wants to.

He's a farmer because he
probably loves wildlife,

he loves animals, and he
doesn't want his animals

to get killed by
another predator.

- [Narrator] Thanks to
the tracking collar,

we're confident of
finding the leopard

within a couple of
hours at the most.

During the journey, we
have to stop several times

to pick up the signal
transmitted by the collar,

and so draw in ever so
closer to our target.

The radio is not
picking up a signal yet.

We'll just have to drive a
little further and keep trying.

This time, we're in luck.

The radio picks
up some weak beeps

which indicate that the
leopard could be within

a radius of five kilometers.

We'll have to try again later.

The use of radio collars to
monitor and track predators

is becoming more
and more widespread.

This not only makes it
easier to gather accurate

information about their habits,

but also to locate them quickly

so that visitors of the park
can film or photograph them.

The beeps are getting stronger.

We're heading in
the right direction.

If we're lucky and the
leopard is resting,

we'll be able to get
up close very quickly.

If she's on the move, things
will be more complicated.

The beeps are getting stronger.

We are now within 50 meters.

At last we find her.

She's a six year old female

that Natasha has named, Honey.

She has a one year old cub.

The cub is not at her
side and this seems

to be worrying her.

She is not afraid of us, but
she is concerned about her cub.

Her instinct tells
her to warn the cub

that there's an intruder
on the territory.

She finds an elevated viewpoint

from where she can watch
us and protect her cub.

It's impossible to interpret
the language of her roars,

but she seems to
be calling her cub,

telling him to make
his way to a safe place

far away from us, as
carefully as possible.

In all probability, the
cub has heard the warning

and is only a few meters
away, but he does not respond.

Perhaps because he's
frightened of us.

This worries his mother.

Female leopards who
have given birth

deliberately avoid
males and other feline

competitors seeking
out a safe territory

where they can
raise their young.

Caring for her cubs
keeps a female active

almost all day
without time to rest.

She must find them food,
teaching them to hunt,

and to recognize
possible threats.

Natasha knows Honey well.

She's been studying
her for years

and knows she's a sensible
and experienced mother.

- I think with leopards,
probably the most important

thing is to act like a leopard.

You have to act elusive
and very calm and so on.

And we've seen she's not
running away from us.

In fact what she's done is,
she's charged us a few times

because she's very protective.

I think it's a hormonal thing.

We haven't proven as yet,
but I think when leopards

have got cubs, for all
predators it's the point

which they're the most dangerous

because they're trying to
protect those youngsters.

They'll literally protect
them with their life.

She had a territory right
next door to where we are.

She gave birth to the cubs,

and what she did was
she gave her daughter

a piece of the territory
where she grew up.

So from where she was born,
that was the piece of territory

she gave this daughter.

So wondering how she knows
the territory so well,

she was born here.

She's been here since
the very beginning.

She knows exactly
where to go to hide.

She knows where to go and
find where the springbok

are hanging around, or
the warthogs for food.

She knows every
little tree, crack,

if she needs water
she knows where to go.

And the reason she
knows it so well

is she's been here since
the day she's been born.

She definitely recognizes
people's faces.

She knows if there's
someone new around,

she knows if it's me.

It's quite interesting and you
can see it in her behavior.

They come close to the vehicle

and they have a look
and they'll decide,

"All right, there's
nothing dangerous,

"nothing to worry about,"
and then they'll walk past.

On other occasions, they'll
look at the vehicle and say,

"There's something
they don't like,"

and so they'll avoid it.

It's very difficult
to, especially in a research situation

to put a personality
to each animal,

but just like we've
got personalities,

they've got personalities.

- [Narrator] After a long wait

with no sign of the
cub, we decide to leave

and try again later.

This environment is a paradise

for many species of wildlife
and for leopards too.

Prey is abundant and there
are plenty of hideaways

where they can live their
solitary and secretive lives.

In this wildlife reserve
in northern Namibia,

the need to compete
with other carnivores

is compensated by the
wide range of the animals

that make up the
leopard's preferred diet.

Zebra, oryx, kudu, springbok,

hartebeest, and wildebeest.

In fact, leopards will
eat any kind of protein,

from mice to baboons.

We decide to resume
our search for Honey,

the mother leopard,
hoping that this time

we'll be lucky enough
to see her with her cub.

We find her in an area
of dense vegetation.

Over the course of an hour,
this is our only glimpse

when she deliberately
breaks cover.

Displaying her
great intelligence,

she attracts our
attention to let her cub

creep away unseen.

Her strategy of distracting
us works like a dream.

Now that the cub has
given us the slip,

the mother leaves too.

They will meet up again
somewhere far from the cameras.

Leopards usually spend two
nights in the same place,

so we hope to see
her again tomorrow.

In the morning, our lenses
penetrate an intricate fence

of branches, and we're
finally able to film the cub.

Later, the mother leopard plays
another of her tricks on us

diverting our
attention from the cub.

Moving about restlessly,
turning her back on us,

distracting us, all the
while checking up on us

with furtive glances.

Finally tired of this game,

she decides to play a
different one, hunting.

She allows us to follow her,

but she wants us to
keep our distance.

The leopard is
the quintessential

ambush and stalking predator.

Although she sometimes
seems distracted

all her senses are
focused, ready to analyze

any smell, sound, or movement
that catches her attention.

(dramatic music)

Wherever she goes, she
likes to leave her mark,

rubbing against
the trunks of trees

or marking them with urine.

She never loses sight of us.

She accepts that
we're following her.

She knows where we are and
what we're doing at all times.

And monitors all our movements.

Suddenly, she picks up the pace.

She seems to be drawn to
something we can't see

and we lose sight of
her for several minutes.

We manage to catch up with her,

only to find her with
a kill in her jaws.

In those few seconds, she
caught a small warthog.

Now she really will disappear.

She made the kill only
a few meters from us

and from several other animals,

which remained
blissfully unaware.

Her stealth and skill
are unparalleled.

The leopard is the big cat many
would like to own as a pet.

In popular imagination, it is
the feline that most closely

resembles the familiar
domestic cats.

Observed at close quarters,

it reveals it's
playful personality.

Leopards can live up
to 15 years of age.

They're a solitary animal,
hunting on home range

of 10 to 15 square kilometers

and only occasionally emerging
from their isolation to mate.

Adult males can
weigh up to 70 kilos

while females, around 60.

Females have gestation
period of 90 to 105 days

and normally give birth to
litter of two or three cubs

which they care for until
they can fend for themselves.

Leopards, unlike lions
and cheetahs, are solitary creatures.

- Leopard are very, very
solitary as a predator.

Cheetah is a little
bit more social

in tolerating other cheetahs
within it's own range

and in terms with communicating
with other cheetahs

frequently and meeting them.

It is effectively a more social

large cat than than
the leopard is.

And the leopard is the most
solitary of all of them.

That defines that
they hunt alone

and they have to remain
their territory alone.

They don't really tolerate
any other predators

of the same species
within their range.

A leopard male will
cover for females,

but the females within each
other, they don't tolerate.

They have very clear boundaries

between their ranges.

- [Narrator] Nevertheless,
they can be as curious

as any other animal.

This female is
completely relaxed

and in these conditions,
it can let itself go

without any of it's
usual wariness.

She rubs, scratches,
and tickles herself

just like a domestic cat playing
on the dinning room floor.

This leopard has a vast
dinning room in which to play.

She feels completely safe
within her territory.

Although from time to time,
she turns her eyes and ears

towards any suspicious sounds
made as they move around

or by our camera, about
which she feels very curious.

All felines are
incredibly inquisitive.

Just leave a camera
on it's tripod,

an unfamiliar object in
the natural environment

and comical scenes ensue.

This lion examines this
unfamiliar object closely

wondering what on
earth it could be.

At the same time, he's
careful not to touch it.

Curiosity isn't the exclusive
preserve of the felines

as demonstrated by
this miniature camera,

the size of a matchbox,
hanging from the top of a tree.

We weren't expected anything
as tall as a giraffe

to discover it.

It's amazing how many
different reactions

a camera can provoke.

The leopard we're watching
is not afraid of anything.

She smears grass and branches
with the scent of her coat

and marks trees and bushes.

She may be in heat,
leaving her visiting card

in the hope a male
will read the signs.

We have just seen one of
the most intimate moments

it is possible to experience
with a leopard in the wild.

For centuries, African
wildlife was thought

to be inexhaustible.

Life was abundant and
constantly replenished

and both humans and
animals had a role to play

within the delicately
balanced tapestry of nature.

This equilibrium was shattered

with the arrival of
the European powers,

suddenly propelling
Africa into the colonial

and post colonial eras.

Since then, natural
harmony has been destroyed

with jaw dropping speed.

There are very few remote,
isolated areas left

where wildlife is not at
the mercy of human impulses.

Most animals know this
and adjust to their new circumstances

with a greater or
lesser success.

The animal that shows no sign
of adapting is the leopard.

Night in the African wilderness

still belongs to the
leopard, the great hunter.

This adds to it's
mythical status

and sometimes works against it.

- Now you get to your leopard,

it's a completely
different species.

Solitary animal,
very seldom seen.

In fact, when I worked
in the conservancies

and you speak to the
conservancy farmers,

they seldom see leopard

because they mainly
move around at night

and being a solitary animal

and they are just exceptional,
exceptional animals.

And exceptionally clever
and clever hunters as well.

They have an element of surprise

and that's normally, they
would be on the periphery

of a herd and they
would charge in,

grab an individual,
and off with it,

and the herd would
probably go on.

So, the idea is that
while leopard is feared,

but humans do not see
leopards that often.

And leopards are
generally, they fear humans

so that sort of the human issues

in this element,
in this conflict

is not really that bad because

they live up in the mountains.

Obviously if you're
climbing the mountains

and you happen to
frighten the leopard

while it's sleeping or in a
cave or something like that,

obviously you're in trouble.

But generally speaking,
the leopard stays away

from human habitation and
takes the individual animal.

- [Narrator] Many farmers
appreciate the leopard's

skill as a hunter, but
know that in the long term

it will become a
problem unless tackled.

Trapping leopards is a challenge

which can turn
into an obsession.

- The problem with
the leopard is

if there is not
enough food for them,

they will start to
go into the calves.

The other thing is, the
calf is a very easy catch

for them as a wild animal.

A wild animal is more alert than

a domesticated
calf, you can say.

And that's why leopards
will go onto those calves,

because of the easiness.

Yeah, you can say we
try to live together

with the leopards here.

We have to live
together with them.

They are here in
our felt environment

so you don't see them often

because it's a very shy animal.

What we are also trying to do,

if there's an animal or
a calf has been caught

by a leopard, that we try to
catch that leopard with a cage

to relocate that animal.

Because if a leopard
catches a calf,

he normally comes
back to his prey

so you know which one
is the problem animal.

Taking him out of
that environment

and relocating him
somewhere else,

you get a space in the,
or with your losses,

haven't got so much
problems anymore.

- [Narrator] But most
farmers make no effort

to trap leopards or
transport them to parks

or protected areas.

They simply kill them.

Farmers will tolerate
zebras, oryx, kudus,

or other herbivores on their
land, but not predators.

We traveled to the home
of the Africat Foundation

in Okonjimao, Namibia.

This reserve created
in 1992 is dedicated

to ecotourism and research
into wild animals.

And it's home to
hundreds of big cats

that have been trapped,
wounded, or abandoned.

Africats started out as a
small family cattle farm.

- So, my dad was farming
on Okonjimao with cattle

and he was losing between
15, 20 calves a year

to the leopard.

And he did what all farmers did.

He shot and he killed
and he set traps

and it didn't really
help and it didn't really

have any positive effect.

In fact, it sometimes was even,

it got worse after
he killed a leopard

or after he confiscated the
leopard out of the area.

It got worse.

So he started doing
very simple research

as a simple man, a simple
farmer trying to understand

this enemy instead of
just killing and doing

whatever everyone else did.

- [Narrator] The Hanssen's
father had struggled

with leopards for many years.

He hunted them like
any other farmer

until he came to see that
they too needed a home

and his outlook changed.

His children grew up to be
passionate conservationists

who promote ways of
defending farms from big cats

rather than killing them.

- To protect your
livestock from leopard

is like a easier, first of
all they're solitary animals,

they're not that many of
them around at one time,

and they normally just
take an animal and then

you don't see them again.

So, there is basically
protect your smaller animals

from them, although leopards
and cheetah are know

to take large, you
know, large cattle.

But generally speaking,
your small animals,

your craws do not
need to be that high,

but they need to be strong.

And generally a guard
dog with your livestock

and a human can
generally work wonders

by keeping these animals
away from your herds.

- [Narrator] The best way
to avoid the extermination

of the leopard is
to show landowners

how to live with them
and reap the rewards.

Many visitors are prepared
to pay large sums of money

just to photograph a
leopard in the wild.

This is the model promoted
by many conservation groups

which raise funds
through ecotourism.

- I think longterm, at
this way it's going to lead

to conservation, it's
going to lead to that

because people will
only tolerate predators,

like Namibia, they will
tolerate a predator

if they can get an
income from them.

For our instance, the leopards.

Leopards eat a lot of Kudu,
and a lot of oryx and zebra

which cost money
theoretically to us,

but they money they
generate from tourism

which the guests can
actually come and see them

which is really rare, that
makes the balance equal,

if you know what I mean.

If I, for instance, on a farm.

If a farmer can realize that
he can take foreign tourists

to see a leopard on his
farm, he will actually make

a lot of money rather than
just shooting that leopard.

'Cause he'll shoot the
leopard once and he'll make

say 10,000 US dollars

because that's what
he'll get from leopard.

But if that leopard lives
for 10 years on his farm,

he will maybe take 1000
people seeing that leopard,

he'll make a million
dollars out of that leopard

in the long term.

- [Narrator] The
leopard has always been

the star attraction
on any safari.

The most difficult feline
to spot in the wild.

The cat whose coat is most
highly prized by hunters.

The decline in big
game hunting means

wild leopards can
breath a sigh of relief.

Their prey, however, can not.

A leopard spreads
fear wherever it goes.

Even when it's simply
taking a stroll.

The hunting instinct
soon kicks in again.

The prints are of other
leopards that passed by

and of tempting prey.

She picks up the pace.

Leaving the river behind,

she plunges into the tall grass.

There's no way of
seeing what is up ahead

so she relies on her
acute sense of hearing.

She knows perfectly well
what lies on the other side.

The head of the family
of warthogs senses danger

and prepares to face it,

but hasn't seen the
leopard to his right

which turns to attack the
females and the piglets

left unprotected by the male.

The leopard moves fast.

She exploits the
distance between

the large male and his
family to kill a piglet.

The male will not reach
her in time to stop her.

The leopard has proved itself
a master of hunting tactics

and she has taken a fine prize

which she will enjoy at her
leisure for at least two hours.

After her apparently
interminable feast,

she surprises us again.

She climbs to the top of
a tree to call her cub,

a young male around
two years old.

She is not afraid of us,

but she is on the lookout
for any threat to her cub,

especially lions and hyenas,
a leopards principal enemies.

This is why she moves
from side to side

ensuring there is no
danger in the vicinity.

Again she calls to the cub.

She seems to be telling
him the coast is clear,

but he seems to say
he's not convinced.

The mother is happy to wait.

When it is clear the cub
won't climb the tree,

the mother finally comes down.

They walk together.

The mother leads the
way and the cub follows.

For an extended
period, mother and cub

exchange gestures, growls,
silences, and eye contact

in a private language that
is impenetrable to us.

As they travel,
they communicate.

Catching up on the news
just like two people

who haven't seen each
other for some time

until the conversation ends

and they go their separate ways.

Today we discovered
a fascinating thing.

The leopards incredible
ability to interpret nature,

far better than any human being.

(whistles)

The wild African
cat that looks most

like a domestic
cat is the caracal.

- So we walk 'em and then
you see that they don't

want to the farm.

Normally they stay out,
the females especially,

they stay out for...

(laughs)

- [Narrator] The lynx-like
caracal looks docile

and submissive, but the
reality is different.

It could never get used to
life in a Manhattan apartment.

Marlice Van Vuuren is a well
known Namibian conservationist

and all authority on big cats.

According to Marlice, the
big cats most characteristic

trait is the desire for freedom

and they can be very
aggressive in seeking it.

And among the felines,
the leopard is the one

that fights hardest.

I think if you look at Namibia,
I'm speaking about Namibia

because most of my
experience is in Namibia.

Leopards is the one animal
that you can find still

from the south of Namibia
up to the east, north,

up to as far as west as
they can possibly go.

And I think the reason
for leopards to survive

is they're fighters and they
have the personalities of cats.

Cats will go off
and catch a mouse

if you don't give 'em food.

And they bounce back,
they take the conflict,

they always bounce back
and they're fighters.

So, I think that's the
reason why leopards,

and they're very clever,
so they outthink.

They're always a step ahead.

If you also hunt leopards,
you have to watch your back.

They walk in circles.

So, it's not just tracking
a leopard and kill it,

you have to be wake up.

You can't just take
it for granted.

You will be killed.

- [Narrator] Sadly,
their hunting instincts

will be inhibited
further in the future

and they will have to
adapt to life behind bars

even when they enclose such
wide open areas as this one

and despite the stress
that this can cause them.

- The question is how you
handle predators in captivity.

It starts with the size of
enclosure you provide them.

The larger your enclosure,
obviously, the less contact

you will have with that predator

because they're naturally
avoiding human contact.

For ambassador
animals that are often

for example injured,

human contact is
often maintained

to keep them in a tame
or semi-tame state

and that will reduce stress

because the animal will
get habituated to that

type of contact.

In cases for releasable animals,

you want to minimize
human contact

to a point where you
don't actually have

any contact with that animal
and you want to provide them

with the largest possible
area in captivity.

So they can still
exercise their ecology

as much as possible,
although in a limited area,

but also to not get habituated

and to not experience
stress from human contact.

To my understanding,
to reduce stress

and to maintain health,
mental and physical health,

the less handling, the
less management the better.

- [Narrator] This pair of
leopards wait anxiously

for their keepers to bring
them their daily meal

which is usually pieces
of animal or wild ass.

- Now that is what I
call good throwing.

Did you see that?

There is the meat on
the, I put it there.

- [Narrator] Life behind a fence

inevitably means the
leopard is trapped

in an enclosed area
from which animals

which would naturally be
it's prey are excluded.

Instead, the leopards
must be brought food.

Living in captivity makes them
totally dependent on humans.

- We need to attach
values to those animals

through tourism, maybe even
through trophy hunting.

It's debatable whether
that's a good technique

or bad technique.

But it has shown
that for wildlife,

that people are willing
to tolerate wildlife

that creates value
and that has value

through any form of utilization.

And that's underdeveloped
at the moment

specifically for the carnivores
thinking of ecotourism

or research based
tourism opportunities

because they are
charismatic predators.

People like to see
them and people

will want to see them in
the future in this country.

- [Narrator] The leopard
is a fascinating animal.

It is the stealthiest,
most daring, intelligent,

and independent of the big cats.

It's self sufficiency
and adaptability

enable it to live in places
where other predators

could never survive.

Leopard numbers
are falling fast,

but despite predictions of
it's imminent extinction,

it is holding on better
than lions and cheetahs

thanks to it's finely
honed survival instincts

which drive it to find habitats

that are as far as
possible from civilization.

Only a few years ago,
this solitary big cat

was the most highly
prized hunting trophy.

Now luckily for the
leopard, locals and tourists

have swapped their
rifles for cameras.

And if the king of
the jungle, the lion,

is the star of the photo albums,

the leopard comes
a close second.

The leopard represents
the spirit of wild nature,

but is now subordinated
to the power of man.

- Man has the power
to create beauty

Man has the power to protect.

Man has the power to destroy.

But the Red Indians said
thousands of years ago

said that if man
destroys nature,

if man destroys the
animal, we are next to go.

You know?

So I truly think that
if we lose this balance,

we're in trouble.

And if we're intelligent
enough to create the iPad

or flight to the moon, or
discover water on Mars,

why can't we find a way
to protect our planet?

You know, the place
where we live.

The place where
we keep our stuff

as they love saying.

It's crazy, it makes no sense.

(dramatic music)

Repair and Synchronization by
Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0