October 15-18
Hello everyone!
As you’ll have seen from the previous post, there is an
abundance of wildlife hidden within South Luangwa National Park in Zambia.
Though seeing these animals in their natural habitat is special every time, we
had seen most of them on our previous visit in 2017. With one spotted
exception…
Leopards are often classed as ‘rare’ sightings in national
parks. Before this trip, I had only seen them a couple of times in the wild. I
had to explain to my sister, who was on her first ever safari, that seeing a
leopard in the first hour (and four of the ‘Big Five’ in that time) isn’t
normal.
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| Leopard in Masai Mara, Kenya |
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| Leopard in Serengeti, Tanzania |
Last time we were in Luangwa, we turned right when our
friends in another car behind turned left. They saw a leopard. We didn’t.
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| No leopard in that tree in 2017 |
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| They also have the right to stay hidden |
This, along with the incredibly rare honey badger, were are
main wishes on our drives from Mopani Lodge. We set off, drove into the park…drove
around the park…and didn’t find a leopard. Saw lots of other lovely things,
mind.
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| Elephants |
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| Lovely sunset |
The following morning, as we hopped into our jeep at 5:45am,
we reminded our driver Godfrey of our goal. We set off, drove into the park…drove
around the park…saw some birds…began to feel drowsy as the temperature started to
soar…
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| Carmine bee-eaters |
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| A zebra staring us down on the track |
…then stopped. Through a yellow thicket there was…something yellow.
With a bit of black. That was moving. Prancing almost, jumping around and pawing
away at something on the floor.
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| Can you see it? |
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| See the body and the ear? |
We had found our leopard. A little leopard, no less. A cub
which seemed as if it was toying with its prey. Catch and release, then catch
again.
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| Leopard cub |
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| It still has a very long tail even though its body is small |
That was really cool. Being picky, a little bit hard to see.
So on we go, driving through the dry landscape, looking around in the bushes.
Well, some of us. Others were looking up…
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| Can you see it? |
Can you see it? Here, let me show you.
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| That blue arrow. Of course. Need a zoomed-in picture? |
A lady leopard panting in the shade, trying to cool herself
down.
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| There's the leopard! |
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| Lazing in the extreme heat |
A very successful, leopard-laden morning. We’d seen two leopards,
including one adorable cub. Pretty satisfied at this point. Then we headed out
again in the afternoon…
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| Munching on a puku |
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| There were a lot of cars here so we didn't stay long |
…and again the next morning…
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| Another cub |
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| We think its mum was hanging around out of sight |
Normally a lodge will include four game drives. To me, four
is an optimal number. Even then, the fourth drive can sometimes drag as you
feel like you’ve had your fill of wildlife. I always castigate myself when I have
this thought, reminding myself how lucky I am to be in these situations, and
then enjoy it. But fatigue is natural. So a fifth drive, in temperatures
exceeding 40°C…
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| Alternate option: laze in water like this hippo |
We were all keen, however, so took off for one final
spotting session. We drove along the river, winding along narrow passages and
brushing branches with our jeep. Suddenly, Godfrey stops the jeep and peers
across the passenger seat at the front of the jeep. “I see feet,” he says.
Maybe the heat has gotten to him, for he’s looking at a towering tree about one
hundred metres away. We all saw branches. The guide has gone mad.
We drive off the road and bump over the ground which
consists of packed mud. Pause again. Godfrey takes a closer look. “They are the
legs of an impala,” he calmly stated, “and I think there is a leopard.” To get
close, we have to drive through bushes. I had to lie down in the jeep to avoid
being decapitated. When I rose from the metallic chassis of the jeep, I looked
up and saw this…
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| This was from about 20 metres away |
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| A happy, hungry leopard |
A lifeless, flaccid impala was being feasted upon by what I think
was a female leopard. Its head would disappear into the guts of the antelope,
before looking up and around to remind itself of its surroundings. At one point
it almost dropped the impala but was able to rescue it in one smooth motion
with its mouth and paws before relocating itself further up the branch. Phenomenal.
Would have been quite scary if the impala had fallen, however, as it would have
landed right next to our jeep.
Other jeeps soon arrived. Godfrey was understandably proud of
his find and keen to be there when other cars fought their way through the
bush. Of course, that raises the volume and can irritate an animal, causing it
to rapidly scamper down the tree trunk…and land very close to our open jeep…
The shoddiness of the video probably reflects the mild
terror I had as it landed. Thankfully, it turned the other way and wandered off
into the bush, leaving the impala high up in the tree.
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| The leopard wandered off through some bushes |
Feeling exhilarated, we meandered on along the river. The
absolute highlight of our trip. Until we decided, after dark, to check whether
the leopard had returned as we drove towards the park’s main gate…
Another jeep was already there, its spotlight revealing the
same leopard…and a bit less of the impala. When the rays caught its face, you
could see a wild demeanour across its face. It was almost posing, lapping up
the acclaim and sneering at the mere humans gazing up from the floor.
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| Staring at its guests |
It’s safe to say we had our leopard fill this time in South
Luangwa. Almost as much as that last leopard got from its prey…
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| We saw another one after this as well! |
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| Unfortunately for its life, the impala got to see a leopard as well... |
Love you all,
Matt
