Tracking the Invisible Spots: How Leopard Collars Are Helping Communities Coexist with Big Cats in Northern Kenya

By: Laiyon Lenguya, PhD student, Wageningen University & Research

A Silent Visitor

In the vast, semi-arid landscapes of northern Kenya, the solitary and shy African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) remains one of the most elusive and least understood predators. Their population size is still largely unknown, with the exception of Loisaba and Mpala Conservancies, where long-term leopard monitoring is ongoing. The Uhifadhi wa Chui (Leopard Conservation) project, supported by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, has recently conducted camera-trap surveys across Loisaba, Mpala, Suyian, and Mugie, estimating that approximately 113 individual leopards roam freely in this contiguous landscape.

Hidden within rocky escarpments, riparian corridors, and the expansive community rangelands that define this region, leopards continue to live largely out of sight. For pastoral communities, they are both respected and feared: admired for their stealth and strength, yet often blamed for livestock losses. This long-standing tension highlights the challenges of coexistence in shared landscapes.

Unlike other large carnivores, leopards move silently through the night, leaving behind few signs of their presence. Today, however, GPS-collaring technology is helping bridge this knowledge gap by allowing researchers to monitor their movements, habitat use, and interactions with people. Each data point offers insights that inform conflict mitigation, guide livestock protection strategies, and strengthen collaboration between communities and conservationists. By tracking what was once invisible, we are uncovering vital information needed to ensure a future in which both people and predators can thrive.

Why This Research Matters

Leopards are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and play a crucial ecological role as top predators, helping regulate prey populations and maintain healthy ecosystems. But in landscapes where people, livestock, and wildlife share space, leopards often come into conflict with herders who rely on livestock for survival. Among neighbouring communities, leopards are both revered and feared, admired for their stealth, yet blamed when livestock disappear without a trace. This tension makes them one of the most frequently persecuted carnivores in northern Kenya.Across Laikipia, reports of livestock losses can trigger retaliatory killings, sometimes with devastating consequences for local leopard populations. Understanding when and why leopards approach livestock is vital to finding solutions that allow both predators and people to coexist. By studying leopard movements, habitat use, behaviour, and interactions with human activities, we can develop practical strategies that reduce conflict and promote peaceful coexistence between people and wildlife.

How Collaring Works: Turning Data into Discovery

Fitting a leopard with a GPS collar is no easy task. Each operation demands the expertise of wildlife veterinarians, the patience of experienced trackers, security support, and, above all, the trust of local communities. Capture sites are selected carefully by the biologist, yet some of the most promising locations remain unused simply because vehicles cannot access them to deploy the nearly 200 kg cage traps or set up a safe working station.Leopards are naturally wary, even spotting one in the wild can take weeks of patient tracking.

Capturing them for collaring must therefore be done safely and ethically, with minimal stress to the animal. People often ask, “How do you decide where to place the traps?” or “Aren’t you afraid they might attack you?” The truth is, every collaring attempt involves meticulous planning, long nights of monitoring, and close coordination with Kenya Wildlife Service veterinarians to ensure everything runs smoothly.The terrain adds another layer of challenge. In places like Loisaba, rocky escarpments, dense bush, and intense heat make fieldwork demanding. Equipment, permits, and community trust are all vital ingredients for success.Through a partnership between Loisaba Conservancy, Mpala Research Centre, Mugie Conservancy, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), 25 collars have been procured. So far, four have been deployed along the edges of Loisaba, focusing on leopards that move between the conservancy and neighbouring community lands.

These collars record hourly locations and transmit data via satellite, allowing researchers to “see” what has long remained invisible, how leopards navigate a mosaic of wild bush, livestock fields, and human settlements. The data help map territories, identify key corridors, and reveal how males and females use space differently. To the untrained eye, a leopard’s movements might appear as a tangle of lines on a map, but hidden within those lines lies a story of survival, adaptation, and intelligence: a glimpse into the secret life of one of Africa’s most elusive big cats.

Early Insights from the Field

Preliminary data are already offering remarkable insights. Some leopards roam across vast territories (LEOP0051_M24), traveling between conservancies and community lands. Others remain within their core areas, moving frequently along seasonal streams. The data show that leopards are primarily nocturnal, resting for much of the day.

These patterns are helping researchers predict where conflict might occur and, more importantly, how to mitigate it. Collar data do more than fill scientific reports; they save animals and livelihoods. By understanding leopard movement patterns, communities can plan grazing schedules that avoid high-risk habitats and strengthen predator-proof enclosures during vulnerable periods.

For instance, while carnivore conflict is generally known to increase during the wet season, little is understood about leopard-specific conflict dynamics. When researchers notice a collared leopard repeatedly approaching settlements, they can work with local leadership and herders to reinforce livestock protection, use non-lethal deterrents, or install predator-proof bomas. Each GPS point represents a chance to turn potential conflict into coexistence.

Working Hand in Hand with Communities

At the heart of this work are the local communities who live closest to wildlife. They are not just participants but partners, reporting sightings, sharing traditional knowledge, and helping guide conservation actions. Initiatives such as the Chui Mamas Centre (a community livelihood program), installation of predator-proof lights and fencing, and education scholarships encourage tolerance and reinforce the link between conservation and community well-being.

Future plans aim to train communities in modern predator-proof boma installation, identify leopard hotspots, and establish early-warning systems when collared leopards are nearby, turning technology into a tool for peace.

A Hopeful Future

There’s an old saying among the Samburu people: “Keatae nanang, neatae nelowaru.” It means that while people keep livestock for survival, carnivores too depend on the same livestock for their survival. Traditionally, this understanding discouraged retaliation, but as space shrinks and pressures grow, conflicts have become more frequent. 

Leopards call this land home, and so do the pastoral communities who share it. Collar by collar, step by step, the once-invisible paths of leopards are becoming maps of hope, guiding conservationists and communities toward peaceful coexistence. The data reveal more than where leopards go; they show that with understanding, respect, and cooperation, humans and big cats can share the same landscape. In the end, tracking the invisible is not just about studying leopards, it’s about finding a future where both people and predators can thrive beneath the same sky.

About the Author

Laiyon Lenguya, MSc, is a Conservation Biologist at Loisaba Conservancy, where he leads the Uhifadhi wa Chui (Leopard Conservation) program and supports the Twiga Walinzi (Giraffe Guards) initiative under the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. He is currently a PhD student at Wageningen University & Research, specializing in leopard movement ecology, conflict dynamics, and evidence-based mitigation strategies to improve human–wildlife coexistence.