Botswana, Animals

Leopard

Leopards are difficult to find! At Selinda and Karangoma, we spent hours wandering around in our jeep, looking among tree branches and under bushes, places that leopards frequent.

But Chobe National Park has dozens of safari guides driving around, reporting to each other what they find. So our guide Justice heard on the radio that this leopard had made a kill on the other side of the park.

Driving fast and bouncing constantly, all kinds of other animals flashed by. We had to travel quite a distance before the leopard lost its kill to a stronger predator and before the light faded and the park closed.

Eventually, we got to the area but without any other jeeps around. We started looking, but amateurs like us are terrible at finding hidden leopards.

Following tire tracks in the sand, Justice found the kill first. An impala, lying under a bush and mostly hidden from our view. Justice also spotted a blood stain in the sand, scene of the crime.

Around the other side of the bush, this female leopard was resting. Justice recognized her. Not long ago she had raised a cub, but her boy had grown and recently started out on his own. Now she was solitary once again.

She had eaten some of the impala, though we could not see the damage. Then she had tucked the remains under the bush for later. During the night, a group of hyenas or the local pride of lions was likely to steal her impala. If she could lift it into a tree, she would be able to save it for the next day.

We had to cross much of the park to get home, so we left her resting with belly full and eyes closed.