Wednesday, 1 March 2023 marks the release of a new coffee table book, Against the Odds – The remarkable story of leopards at the Cape that celebrates these big cats and conservation efforts to protect them. Endorsed by Dame Jane Goodall, with a Foreword by Dr Ian McCallum and magnificent cover image by National Geographic photographer Steve Winter, the 144-page hard cover book is a visual feast with high quality photographs that reveal the magnificence of leopards at the Cape.
The book, written in accessible narrative style by environmental journalist John Yeld, explores the early history and persecution of leopards in the region and how attitudes to these cats have changed over the past 400-odd years. It delves into the birth and coming of age of leopard research and conservation at the Cape, with a focus on the Cape Leopard Trust and the people who have made the organisation what it is today. The book features poignant personal accounts from various role players who have dedicated much time and effort to secure a future for leopards, and shines a light on the importance of these truly wild and elusive felines.
The book was made possible thanks to generous funding from the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust.
Against the Odds will be available for sale from 1 March 2023 at the CLT online shop at a cost of R395 (excluding shipping) at
Book synopsis
‘The presence of leopards as apex predators is essential to the health of the Cape Floristic Region” ~ Jane Goodall
Many people are unaware that leopards still roam the wild mountain regions of the Cape and occasionally venture down into adjacent areas in valleys and even the coastal strip. Intensely shy, these reclusive cats are almost never seen, but they reveal their iconic presence in evocative camera trap photographs and through other signs like spoor and scat. The same subspecies as leopards that occur elsewhere throughout Africa, but significantly smaller and with some unique traits, the leopards at the Cape have survived centuries of persecution and hunting – some say miraculously. Now, they have full legal protection (although contraventions still occur) and are widely, if not universally, celebrated for their magnificent physical presence and crucial role as apex predators.
This book tells the remarkable story of leopards at the tip of Africa, and of the Cape Leopard Trust’s efforts to ensure these ‘ghost cats’ continue to survive.
Selected quotes
This wonderful book, so beautifully narrated and compiled by author John Yeld, is an informative and important publication about the habitat and life of the threatened leopards of the Cape. It is a wonderful tribute to the Cape Leopard Trust, an organisation dedicated to the protection and survival of these exquisite cats, and the people on the ground who have contributed to this fascinating story over the years. My hope is that readers of this book will be inspired to support the Cape Leopard Trust in its conservation efforts. ~ Johan van der Westhuizen, Chairman, Cape Leopard Trust
Leopards are special animals that embody, in a unique way, the essential qualities of wildness that we value and strive for in ourselves – independence, unpretentiousness, patience, spontaneity, authenticity, untameability … freedom? ~ Dr Ian McCallum, renowned poet, psychiatrist, conservationist and trustee of the Cape Leopard Trust.
It’s about forever focusing on a new horizon and asking the question: What more can we do to make a difference for leopards and their survival? – Helen Turnbull, CEO, Cape Leopard Trust
