First ever captivity-bred strawberry leopard

I had the privilege to meet the first ever strawberry leopard born in captivity worldwide, named as such because of its much fairer skin to that of a normal leopards.  And it’s here in South Africa.

Madiba, as they named him, was born with his special condition at the Akwaaba Lodge near Rustenburg in the North West, South Africa about seven months ago.  His sister, Liana, is a perfectly normal leopard.

Madiba is believed to have erythrism or erythrochroism – which is not a sickness – but a mere genetic condition that is thought to cause either an overproduction of red pigment or an underproduction of dark pigment in the cells.

Some might mistake this condition for a disease or sickness, which is not at all the case.  This is more or less the same commodity as that of normal lions and white lions.  They are not albinos, as many would say.

Red pigments or dark pigments, under- or overproduction, whichever one it is, Madiba is definitely one of a kind.

The seven-month-old cat has a personality as special as his condition.  In all the ways that matter, Madiba is as normal as any leopard (as well as mischievous), but for one difference, his fur, which is a much lighter in colour.

When Madiba is older, the chances of one of his offspring also being strawberry-coloured is 50-50.

He is indeed a rare sighting and most definitely worth the drive over to Akwaaba Lodge, situated a mere 15km from Rustenburg.

Akwaaba Lodge not only has this little miracle, but a wide range of other must-see animals as well.  Such as white lions, Bengal tigers, wild dogs, spotted and striped hyenas, black leopards and many more amazing predators.

When asked why they gave Madiba this unique name, they said, because, like the much-beloved Nelson Mandela, Madiba is one in a million.  We will never have another Nelson.  So I’d say that name is absolutely spot on.

Madiba is one of two strawberry leopards in the world.  The other has rarely been seen.

Madiba and his sister were raised by hand and they are an absolute delight to watch together.

The other two magnificent animals, and next to Madiba, my personal favourite, are a beautiful jaguar and a little Jack Russell dog.  These two are inseparable.  They were raised together, hence the reason for their interconnection.

They are the best of friends and if the owners attempt separation, they fall into a sort of “depression”.

If a person attempts to enter their cage, trying to take the little dog, the jaguar is not going to be very pleasant toward the intruder.  It is absolutely captivating to see and definitely something I will remember: the little Jack Russell, with the heart and courage of a lion, and the jaguar, with the tenderness that is foreign to its predator species.

This was an amazing opportunity to see the other side of wild animals and not just the side that everyone fears, like the big teeth and sharp claws, the not-to-be-forgotten instinct to attack. Because just like household pets, they really do have their own personalities.