Take a trip along Chapman’s Peak Drive and, if you look carefully, you may spot the blue leopard statue down by the water’s edge. This bronze sculpture was created by Ivan Mitford-Barberton and was placed on its rocky pedestal in March 1963.
The leopard appears blue because of the oxidation of bronze in the salty breeze of Hout Bay. The 295kg statue is a memorial to the wildlife that once roamed the forests and mountains of the Cape Peninsula. The last leopard spotted in Hout Bay was seen on Little Lion’s Head in 1937.
The leopard sits proudly atop an elongated rock, isolated among many other smaller boulders. This has left many visitors and residents wondering how the heavy bronze statue was placed on top of the tall rock.
The sculpture is a memorial to the many wild animals that once roamed the mountains of the peninsula. The last leopard seen in Hout Bay was in 1937 on Little Lion’s Head Information – Hout Bay Museum
