THE LEOPARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19134, 28 September 1925, Page 7

THE LEOPARD.

Sir, —I have to thank you lor publishing my' letter. There is, however, one important matter I overlooked, and that, is that the bottom of any trap set for a leopard should be the notarial earth and not a wooden floor. I am sorry for having overlooked this essential point. D. A. Chinxery Brown. Sir, —It does not appear to have occurred to the cognoscenti to suggest that the leopard still in the zoo should be caged and removed to or near the place where the escaped animal can reasonably be proved to have been last in evidence. The hunters, or, as they then would be, the watchers would, of course, be careful to be down wind from the caged leopard. After the caged leopard is left without food and water for 24 hours, the desired result is highly probable. It is preferableto move the cagod leopard in the late afternoon. JOBAJfi* AULCS. Sir,—lt has been suggested that the City Council should offer an adequate reward for the recapture of the leopard. It has offered £2O for the living animal and £lO for the dead body. Who is going to risk life for £2O? May I suggest the reward should be increased to, say, £IOO for the living leopard, £SO for the dead' body and £lO for information that will lead to the recovery of the animal, dead or alive. Only as. recently as Wednesday it was reported to have been seen in the vicinity of the Karitane Home at Mount Albert, which goes to prove that it is drawing further away from the city and' nearer to our beautiful Waitakere Ranges. Safety First. Sir,—Except by some lucky chance it is improbable that the leopard will be shot. As it prefers rocky nills covered with scrub and jungle, it will most likely take up its quarters in the Waitakere Ranges, from which it will scan the valleys and lowlands for prey. One authority states that few animals come amiss in the way of food. Sir Samuel Baker asserts that it is far more difficult to circumvent a leopard than a tiger, and that it approaches!- its "kill" in a most wary and cautious manner, crouching, and examining every yard of the ground, at the same time carefully scanning the branches of any adjacent trees. He adds: "There is very little sport afforded by this stealthy animal, and it is almost useless to organise a special hunt, as it is impossible to form any correct opinion respecting its locality. It has no special character or custom that would guide the hunter in arranging a beat according to the usual rules m the case of tigers." Another authority says; "Leopards are much less suspicious of traps than are tigers, and accordingly a large number are thus caught; such traps being generally baited with a Hog. goat, or calf, which attracts the leopard by its cries." The young animal now at large, having splendid cover in the rocky scrub-country adjacent to the zoo, may, if small game be abundant, remain in that favoured locality for some time; and, when it has gained age and experience, may even revisit the zoo to replenish its larder from the antelope pens so conveniently situated for that purpose. In anticipsttion of such a possibility., a 12-boro doublebarrelled breech-loader, loaded with bnckshot cartridges, should be on hand for immediate use,, By running in melted mutton suot around the buck-shot when filling the cartridges, a much closer "pattern" will be obtained at close range. E.F.W.