“Celebrating the Okonjima Leopards”

Against a back drop of declining leopard numbers in Namibia and globally due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, illegal wildlife trade and trophy hunting, the Okonjima Nature Reserve is renowned for being one of the best places in the world to see leopards. Moreover, several of them are enrolled in AfriCat’s leopard research project, providing amazing insights into the secret lives of these normally elusive and mysterious big cats. AfriCat’s 2024 calendar celebrates just a few of the charismatic leopards of the Okonjima Nature Reserve; former guests to Okonjima will recognise many of the leopards on these pages. The photographs have been generously donated by some of the talented photographers who have visited Okonjima and support AfriCat’s work.

We hope this calendar will bring happy memories of time spent on Okonjima or encourage a future visit. At the same time, we hope it will serve as a reminder of the need to strengthen conservation efforts to ensure that leopards, and other feline predators, are ensured safe habitat and protection from retribution killing, hunting and poaching. By celebrating leopards and their conservation, the calendar not only brings joy to those who appreciate these animals but also plays a role in their preservation for future generations. It underscores the shared responsibility to protect these magnificent creatures and their habitats.

Special thanks to our contributing photographers: Xenia Ivanoff-Erb, Karen Codling, Angelique Smith, Kris Meier, Romain Charrier, Jandré Germishuizen, Yasin Kirsch, Naun Amable Silva, Adri Bruwer, Paul Martens, and Alexander Heinrichs.