Searching for Spots - Leopard Research & Volunteer programmes Zimbabwe

Our ethos at Searching For Spots is to provide an immersive experience for people, where they have an active role in conservation and develop more of an understanding of the complexities that come with this endeavour. The goal is to evoke and nurture a passion for wild spaces and community. In doing so we will ensure the longevity of these spaces and those who rely on them. For me, at the core of this diverse and novel conservation offering is a drive to gather more information and understanding on leopards and to protect them.
To properly explain what our venture with Cawston looks like, it is important to provide some background on the property. The reserve is an enclosed system, situated 60 km’s north of the city of Bulawayo, where leopards are the property's apex predator. Enclosed systems require careful management of game numbers, as the animals no longer have the freedom to migrate naturally and therefore an overpopulation of animals within an enclosed environment will be ecologically detrimental. The property was purchased in 1987, since its inception, Cawston has primarily been a working game farm and utilised responsible and ethical hunting to sustain the land. However the relentless hikes in the cost of living in Zimbabwe makes constant adaptation a necessity. Simply put, hunting can no longer cover the costs and hunting more animals than necessary in this closed system is not a viable long term plan. The land owner is a firm believer in the precautionary principle and this founded their agreement with Searching For Spots.
Heeding the necessity to diversify and having seen the passion that Owen has for leopards and the preservation of their species, Cawston have stopped all leopard hunting and with your help we aim to make our volunteer and research programme successful and popular enough to generate the required economic benefit to compensate. We cannot achieve this without your support and effort. As this journey evolves we aim for volunteer and eco-tourism to have a major role in the conservation of this land.
For more information - www.searchingforspots.com
We hope to see you 'searching for spots' soon,
Owen

[@carolecg402]

Well done Owen, look forward to seeing what happens.

[@searchingforspots]

Thanks so much Carol! Hope you're well. O