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African Leopards
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Male leopard killing male cheetahs is documented from Kruger (Pienaar) , Namibia, Kalahari, and Kenya.
Cheetahs may dominate female leopards and sub-adults, but male leopards invariably have the upper hand.  (11-13-2015, 12:22 AM)GuateGojira Wrote: Check this new article from National Geographic: Do you have some body size data about sri lankan leopard ? 
Leopard cub, leopard gorge, Masai Mara, Kenya. Paul says: "Tiny leopard cub of only 10 weeks gets astonishing hang time above the granite of leopard gorge in the Mara."
 *This image is copyright of its original author
Female leopard at leopard gorge, Masai Mara, Kenya. Paul says: "This leopard is called Zawadi (it means the 'gift' in Kiswahili).
 *This image is copyright of its original author
Zawadi on her favourite lookout rock, this morning
 *This image is copyright of its original author Playing with her cub  *This image is copyright of its original author
A day with Zawadi, the Leopard
I set out this morning for a game drive at 6.am, with one objective, to see Zawadi the leopard at the leopard gorge. She had been reported to have one cub of about 3 months old. My mission and that of my guests who has been coming here for many years, was to establish the truth, since the leopard in reference is a known character who featured a few times on the BBC’s Big Cat Diary. She is about 16 yrs old by now and for her to have a cub at this age is proving us wrong in what we would have thought is not possible.
Back to the leopard gorge.... when i got there this morning, i found Jonathan Scott, a proffessional photographer in the Mara who has been following this particular leopard since she was a small cub. When we met, we talked of the good old days at the same place when we used to come and see Half tail, Zawadi’s mother in the early 90s. This particular spot was a popular land mark for the driver guides looking for leopards.
When i arrived, before my chat with Jonathan, i looked around and did not see teh leopard though i know she will be somewhere here if Jonathan is also around. It did not take long befroe i saw some movement in the grass on the opposite side of the gorge, and there our anticpiation and long drive was rewarded when she appeared with the cub. Our cameras immediatley went into “rapid fire” mode taking so many of the pictures we later deleted whne she posed nicely giving us the opportunity we wanted. We watched her and around 9am sh eleft the cub and walked away. We assumed she went to hunt and we did not want to spoil her hunt, so we just waited where we were. She came back and went to where the cub was and just slept! We waited until 5.45pm when she came out with the cub, and gave as some great nice poses, whne she knew well that the light was gone and we could not take any picture; well...tomorrow is another day, an di will be there early enough an dall set to spend another day at the gorge, either taking pictures of her, or waiting! Thats life in the Mara....my office.
With the tall grass, she has to be on the lookout all the time when her cub is playing
A lookout from her observation rock
Zawadi plays with her cub on the rocks above the gorge
The cub playing with mum's tail 
All photo and information credits: Kevin Schafer Photography
"Is there any animal more beautiful than a leopard? And is there anything more like a house cat than a leopard sleeping in a tree? This is a famous female leopard in Kenya's Masai Mara, known as Half-tail (she lost most of it in a fight with baboons...) Half-tail's gone now, but her cubs have grown and have cubs of their own. Long may it be so." April 2012  *This image is copyright of its original author
Photo and information credits: Sean Braine Photography
"This Big tom roamed (still is ) the horshoe area on the Kwando river, Caprivi." February 2012  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Sundestinations, Week in Pictures: Changing Season
"Cleo, one of the Klaserie's famously graceful female leopards."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Ezulwini Game Lodges:
"We've had some exceptional luck lately with the ever-striking Van Wijk's female leopard and have enjoyed multiple sightings of her lately. Probably the most outstanding moment was when she leapt into a tree and paraded her fine form for all to see." "Perfection! Van Wijk's female has been nicknamed 'the princess of Ezulwini' and that's purely because we admire her so much. And how could we not?"  *This image is copyright of its original author "We watched as the leopardess balanced with ease and stepped along the branch of a marula tree like the born natural she is."  *This image is copyright of its original author "This golden-eyed cat is about the most relaxed leopard we see at Ezulwini Game Lodges. Alongside Chavaluthu, the blue-eyed boy of the Balule, she’s one of the most commonly spotted leopards while out on game drive."  *This image is copyright of its original author "She seemed to enjoy the fork of the marula tree as the evening sun lit her up in its warm glow."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The leopard climbed down and padded softly around the base of the tree before choosing a quiet spot to lie down."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Eventually, our lady leopard settled on a cool patch of grass where she continued to offer her admirers elegant poses and memories of safari to last a lifetime."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Umlani Bushcamp:
"The beautiful Marula female doing what she does best, posing in a marula tree for us yesterday afternoon, it was a photographers dream sighting with the most amazing light and blue skies as a backdrop."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Nyeleti is showing her independence lately after yet another kill she made yesterday."  *This image is copyright of its original author From Makanyi Lodge: "Nick, one of our resident leopards."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Ezulwini Game Lodges:
"Can you even see this leopardess? This is the graceful and beautiful looking Van Wijk's leopardess. She is fast becoming one of our commonly spotted cats. Leopards love trees. They stash their kills in trees to safeguard their meal against thieving scavengers like hyenas. In an area where there are few scavengers, a leopard will feast on its prey while on the ground."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Leopards are really tricky to spot. They have a tawny colour fur with dark rosette type patterns which blend in perfectly with the surrounding vegetation. Leopards are nocturnal hunters and sleep during the heat of the day. You'll often find them hiding out in drainage lines or up in the trees, guarding their kill. Being opportunistic hunters, if the moment presents itself they'll pounce - irrespective of whether it's day or night."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The beautiful Van Wijk's leopardess has become a regular feature on our game drives. A couple of days she seemed to be patrolling the area and inspecting a rather large tree. A leopard will often drag its kill away from the kill site and stash them it in a tree for safekeeping. Perhaps she was searching for the perfect tree for her upcoming kill?"  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Van Wijk's leopardess gently navigates her way down the tree. After descending, she walked in front of the vehicle and then found a quiet spot under the thickets, where she settled."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Van Wijk's leopardess patrolling the area. Was she searching for her next meal or just finding a place to relax? She explored the fork of a tree and eventually found a spot to relax under the thickets. Leopards are incredibly solitary animals and both sexes defend territories."  *This image is copyright of its original author From NThambo Tree Camp: "The other night the majestic Ross Dam leopardess introduced us to her cubs! A leopard sighting is rare but seeing a mother with her male and female cub feasting on a kill is almost unbelievable. That was just at night. The following morning we saw mother and cubs devouring the last of the meaty morsels from the previous night's impala kill. Ain't life in Africa just grand?" "This is the male cub. He fed alongside his mother and devoured the tasty bits from her recent impala kill. He spent quite sometime pouncing playfully around a termite mound, providing guests with many incredible photo opportunities."  *This image is copyright of its original author "This regularly sighted leopardess has been seen with a single cub on a couple of occasions, but it turns out that in fact there were two cubs and we were seeing, only one at a time. In the darkness, the mother leopard and her two cubs fed on an impala carcass, unbothered by the presence of their admirers."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Let's hear it -"Ah cute"! This is one of Ross Dam's cubs. In the darkness, the mother leopard and her two cubs fed on an impala carcass, unbothered by the presence of their admirers."  *This image is copyright of its original author "This is one of Ross Dam's cubs. One cub is a male and one is female, and they are about 4 months old. The female cub was more timid than the male, and she is a little smaller in size, which is normal for a female leopard. The male has two spots above his whiskers on the left, and a rather dramatic ‘smudged’ eye marking on the right."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Ross Dam seeks safety in the fork of a tree. Leopard's often stash their kill in a tree for safekeeping, away from sneaky scavengers."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Ross Dam snacking on the remains of an impala kill, which she happily shared with her two cubs."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Ross Dam devouring the last of the impala kill, which she shared with her two 4 month old cubs. We saw Ross Dam and cubs at night and the next morning!"  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Ezulwini Game Lodges:
"And yet again we see the Van Wijk's leopardess, the princess of Ezulwini. Here she is, just hanging about in a tree - doing what leopard's do best! Leopard's use the safety of trees to protect themselves and their kill against thieving scavengers and other predators. They don't have to be as alert when they're high-up in the tree, which means they can relax." "Just hanging about ! Leopard's love to relax in trees - it gives the perfect vantage point to survey their landscape for potential prey. They're also far less vulnerable when up high in the safety of a tree."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Van Wijk’s leopardess is a small, yet powerful cat often spotted on Ezulwini’s traverse. She loves nothing more than to be in the limelight and never misses an opportunity to have her photo taken."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Leopards sleep and relax during the day to conserve energy for their night time antics. They're opportunistic hunters but do most of their hunting at night. When they're up high in a tree the don't have to be as alert as when they're on the ground. They also drag their prey into a tree to protect it from scavengers."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Van Wijk's leopardess observing her territory below. This tree seems like the perfect place to stash her prey when she makes a kill."  *This image is copyright of its original author
A room with a view.
From our Ndutu / Serengeti Safari earlier the year.  *This image is copyright of its original author |
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