Some leopards to start the week! Leopards are definitely my favourite cats to watch (well, at least of the cats I have seen so far… once I have the chance to see tigers and jaguars, I’ll have to revisit this statement!)
The first image was taken in Botswana in the Okavango Delta, in a sighting filled will drama (for the humans involved). Several vehicles from another camp were following this leopard, who was doing what leopards do best, being elusive and sticking to the cover of the bush. There had been a lot of flooding in the area, and a vehicle got stuck while following this cat, and then a second got stuck, trying to help the first. Our awesome ranger saved the day and got the vehicles mobile again, but both stuck vehicles missed out on the few photo opportunities that were available, like this one.
This second image was also from the delta, and I have posted of this sighting many times before so I won’t go on and on. I think though, this shot is how people dream of seeing leopards, but the one above is a far more realistic scenario.
This final image was taken in South Africa; our guide took us to a sighting of a mama leopard and her two cubs in ravine, and we had a brilliant time watching the cubs playing on the fallen trees, scampering through the swamp, and wrestling with each other. The cub pictured here was just about to pounce on its sibling, who was a few feet below on the ground. This was one of those sightings where, as we drove back to camp, our guide told us “we probably should keep this quiet while there are other guests around”.
Just so you know, you can find lots of images like these over in my gallery page!