African Leopards

[Ngala]

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."

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"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."

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"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?"

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"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."

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"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."

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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."

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"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."

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"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."

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"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."

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"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."

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"Ross Dam snacking on the remains of an impala kill, which she happily shared with her two cubs."

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"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!"

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