Kruger 2012: Early Morning Shingwedzi with the Leopards (Part 2)

I've been searching the bushes and river bank's edges for nearly 3 hours since dawn. My eyes are feeling the strain of peering into the shade under every bush to try and catch a glimpse of one of my favourite predators.

"I guess I should start looking in the trees as well," I thought to myself and looked into the big tree directly in front on me... And there he was! My leopard! I slammed on brakes, put my hazards on (there was a car behind me) and started reversing. I was shaking I was so excited!

It took me a minute to try and find the right angle because of the bushes between me and the leopard. I stopped, grabbed my camera and shot a few frames. I checked them to see how they turned out and then I looked back at the tree.

"Blast!" I thought, "he's moved!" I put the car in gear and just as I was moving forward I realized I was looking at a *second* leopard! Two leopards? Siblings? No... I realized this must be a transient male and resident female!

"Oh no! Which one do I focus on?" ran through my mind. The male was partly obscured so I thought I'd try to get a few shots of the female before she moved. I waited a few minutes taking a few more shots and decided to slowly reverse to see if the male leopard had moved to a clearer position. And he had. It was a beautiful shot!

Behind me I heard a voice say "I know I shouldn't do this..." and then I heard a car door open. I turned around and the guy from the other vehicle had stepped out his vehicle to take a picture! I hissed at him to get back into his car because the male leopard was already nervous. But the damage was done. Less than a minute later the male got up and climbed down the tree and walked back to the river bank with not even a look back.

I watched the female leopard because I was worried she was going to leave as well. And up she stood. "No!" I groaned. But she went where the male had been lying and lay down. I breathed a sigh of relief! I had more time. But it was short-lived. Within minutes she too got up, climbed down the tree and after surveying the area stalked off, searching for her partner.

I sighed. I had had a lovely opportunity to get some fantastic images and it could have lasted hours. Instead, I had maybe 8 minutes total time.

I learned an interesting lesson. Don't think the game will tell you where the leopards are and don't think that where there is game there are no leopards. Within 50m to the right of these leopards there were impala and baboon. And they were unconcerned. Before the female climbed down the tree a little grysbokkie had walked past about 20m away, also unconcerned. And 50m along the road I heard the vervet monkeys calling warnings when the male leopard had been spotted walking away.

All in all it was a fantastic opportunity and another highlight of my holiday.

Oh, and the guy who climbed out his car to take pictures? They didn't come out...