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Leopard
Leopards of Sabi Sands
Leopards of Sabi Sands
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Leopards of Sabi Sands
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Marlon du Toit: " Wow wow WOW! I’ve been close to leopards on countless occasions and let me tell you, the privilege & experience is never lost on me. It just gets me every single time.
We spent the entire afternoon & early evening with this leopardess. She was active & hunted, and eventually came to rest on a termite mound as the darkness crept in. Simply amazing! "
Marlon du Toit: " A leopardess steps from dark into light. As the setting sun approaches the lowveld tree line she can feel the energy within stir. She’s a wild huntress, a sun-kissed beauty like no other.
For the photographers out there, the images are challenging. She stepped from deep dark shade to direct sunlight. It’s important to prepare for the photo you WANT, so think ahead in terms of the settings. The dynamic range from my @sonyalphasa A9ii allowed me to create an incredible image here, & the Sony 400 f2.8 GM created a smooth background with an emphasis on those stunning whiskers!"
" We set off to the southern section of the reserve, in the hope of finding a leopard. We soon heard the alarm calls of impala and raced over but couldn’t see what they could see. We then noticed some squirrels down the river also alarm calling. Following the moving calls, we eventually found the Scotia female leopard and we were lucky enough to spend some good time with her. We followed her through thickets, through a drainage line and she then made her way on top of a termite mound where she spent some time looking around scanning the area for any potential prey. "
" Sometimes you see the most incredible sightings during the most incredible situations... Louise looks back on one such sighting in her latest blog, "Worth the storm". Link in bio. "
" It's almost time for this young female leopard to part ways with her mother and become independent. But for now, she is enjoying all the attention while it lasts. This morning, we located them again, resting in a tree, both with full bellies and seemingly content with life. "
" Scotia and her sub-adult cub. "
Marlon du Toit: " Late afternoon sunlight floods the face of this old weathered male leopard. His fought many a battle and wears the scars proudly. Life for a male leopard in the Sabi Sands is a challenging one. The population is dense and the stakes high. "
Marlon du Toit: " Nothing like staring deep into the eyes of a leopard, mesmerizing. Captured this scene yesterday on safari here @sabisabireserve. " 
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VIRTUAL SAFARIS: LEOPARDESS ON A HUNT We sit with the Mashaba female on a very windy afternoon as she stalks a herd of impala. Wait for the unexpected twist...
Marlon du Toit: " We enjoyed this fantastic sighting and experience yesterday morning here @sabisabireserve. It was just one of those mornings to be remembered.
We found a female leopard with her 6 months old cub. They scavenged from the territorial male leopard’s kudu kill. The female tried best she could to position the carcass in the tree but in doing so she dropped it to the ground below. The hyenas, ever opportunistic, did not let the opportunity to amiss. They reacted and within seconds made off with what was left of the Kudu."
" What a pleasant surprise when we approached a watering hole and saw this male leopard quenching his thirst. He soon moved off, sniffing, rubbing and scent marking on a Marula tree. "
Marlon du Toit: " An animal I just simply can’t get enough of. Leopards are captivating in every possible way!"
" An incredible sighting! We had stopped for a sundowner and scanned the area with some binoculars. To our delight we spotted this leopard and quickly packed up, moving toward the area where we saw him. After some circling, and losing a little hope, this male leopard appeared out of the shadows. "
Marlon du Toit: " A predator with no rival, a purpose built animal unlike any other. Leopards will forever capture my imagination. I am in awe of them. Silent. Swift. Savage. They are all of this and more.
This image was taken a few days ago - a male leopard caught & killed a duiker in the early evening on a cloudy, rainy day. It took the kill up a tree but could not find a comfortable branch on which he could eat. He then brought the carcass back down to the ground. This also illustrates the power of modern day cameras like the Sony A9ii & Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM lens used here. Not an easy photo to take by any means, but certainly helped by what Sony’s achieved through their technology. As they say, the proof is in the pudding. "
" It felt so good to have the sun back after a few gloomy, cloudy and wet days, and the White Dam male leopard must have thought so too as he was sitting up on a termite mound scanning the newly washed surrounds and blue skies. "
Marlon du Toit: " A very special sight - a leopardess on top of a termite mound on a recent @wildeyesa safari to @sabisabireserve.
Have you ever seen this or been so close to a leopard? You’ll agree it’s something not easily forgotten! " |
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