The Cape Leopard Trust research team has been investigating ways to conduct our camera surveys in a more sustainable manner. One way of doing so is to transition away from alkaline and lithium batteries to a rechargeable source to power our camera traps. These efforts recently received an invaluable boost from renewable energy solutions provider Rentech in the form of a sponsorship of 200 Rentech 6v, 4.5AH batteries and 5 Noco Genius Gen 2 chargers.

These batteries and chargers will be used in the latter half of 2021 to power more than 170 motion-sensor camera traps that form part of a large-scale survey to assess leopard distribution and ascertain density. A service technician from Rentech will assist in an advisory capacity at regular intervals, visiting the charge and storage site with recommendations to ensure longevity of the batteries and maximum usage.

Industrial Business Manager, Gerrit Steyn, says that company’s support of the Cape Leopard Trust aligns with its efforts to further sustainable solutions in South Africa.

“Rentech isn’t only committed to creating viable and sustainable energy solutions for South Africans, but also furthering environmental sustainability. It is therefore our honour and privilege to be able to support the Cape Leopard Trust in their endeavours. We trust that the supply of reliable batteries and chargers will assist greatly to ensure that the camera traps can properly fulfil their intended function and contribute towards the conservation of leopards in the Cape region.”

We would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to Rentech and its team for this valuable donation. Large-scale camera surveys require a huge investment of logistics and manpower, and the savings accrued from the battery donation will help us to finance this work. In addition, thanks to Rentech’s support, we will be able to transition to conducting more environmentally friendly research using reliable and rechargeable batteries to power the camera traps.