This elusive cat likes to climb and sleep all day in the boughs of a big sausage tree. They’re often shy and so a sighting is a very special occurrence.
We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Leopards on five separate occasions during our trip
Airstrip Leopard
The only Leopard we spotted in Namibia was on our last morning in Etosha. Striding purposefully towards the waterhole we only caught a brief glimpse of this magnificent creature before he slinked off into the long grass
Shortly after the Leopard had left a safari vehicle pulled up alongside us. We were still scanning the long grass for another glimpse of the majestic leopard, but he wasn’t to be seen again. The safari car was just a few seconds too late.
To see exactly where we spotted the leopard see our guide to Etosha
Mother, cub and steenbok
Perhaps our most special sighting came at Savuti.
Early on in our afternoon game drive, our guide Isaak had picked up word of a leopard and cub near the airstrip. By the time we arrived on scene the pair had disappeared into the bush, and the guides were plotting how to find them again. We headed around the back route and Isaak found some leopard tracks heading east and west across the road we were on, however they were not so fresh.
Just as hope appeared to be fading we took another look at the tracks, and Isaak declared them to be fresher than he had previously thought. We followed the track north for a couple of hundred metres, and there under a thicket at the side of the road was the leopard and her cub, and a dead steenbok for added measure.
Our presence clearly flustered the leopard, very quickly she picked up her kill and slinked away into the longer grass with her cub in tow. At this point other safari vehicles had began to show up, compounding the leopard’s misery. Isaak told the other cars to give her some space, but some them started to get very close to the leopard, forcing her further back into the bush. With the animals becoming ever more agitated, our guide decided it was time to pull out. The cub and mother were both visibly hungry, and needed to eat, and all we were doing was putting them and their kill at risk.
The next morning mother and cub were noticeably more relaxed. They’d had a good meal, and were content to bask in the morning sunlight whilst the safari vehicles moved in for a better angle.
Photos we took show just how well camouflaged the leopards are in the long grass. You can move two metres to one side and completely lose sight of them.
It’s likely, according to our guide that the leopard was the daughter or granddaughter of the famous fishing leopards from the 2016 documentary. Although the lack of water in the area now means they have to resort to more conventional prey.
Waiting up in the tree
Late night hunting at Kwara
Twice more we spotted leopards during our night drives. Once was a tip off from another vehicle who already ham them in their sights. To be honest this was a little disappointing as we had hoped to spend longer with the African Wild Cat we had come across along the way.
The second sighting was more dramatic, although we have no photographic evidence. On our way back from our evening boat along the moanachira channal, our tracker KB spotted fresh leopard tracks.
We circled up to the bridge and back to check whether the leopard had recently crossed the road, and once we had seen that it hadn’t it was clear that the leopard was still contained in a small section between the road and the river.
We stopped to sit and listen for any indications. All of a sudden there was loud shrieking coming from over on our right hand side. Baboons have excellent eyesight, and in the pitch darkness they had managed to spot the leopard and were now signaling the alarm. Loudly.
We set off towards the racket, and after a bit of off-roading we came across the leopard in the long-grass. A short glimpse of only a few seconds before it eluded us and slinked back off into the night.
Small Holiday Big Dream 