On the morning of the 29th December 2009, we started off on our morning safari, with the intent of making our way to the Western section of the Kapama Game Reserve!
The only animals left to see, were the Hippo and the illusive Big “L” the Leopard!
We were all still settling into our positions and getting comfortable while driving, when my tracker “Willies” said in a calm voice, “there’s a Leopard”, of course we all know how elusive the leopard is and I think to myself “is it really?” So I go back to where he said he saw it, and, can you believe it, there she was, IMBILO (meaning – heart), lying in a tree without a care in the world after not showing herself for a good few weeks. It was fantastic to finally see her again!
While taking some pictures, I failed to notice that some warthog had come out of their burrow in a termite mound, very close to where Imbilo was lying in the tree. Of course as opportunistic as the leopard is, she lives up to her name and jumps out of the tree, in an attempt to catch at least one of the warthogs, unfortunately for her, the warthogs were a little more awake than she expected and they managed to get away unharmed!
It was an amazing sighting and we all hope to have many more just like it!
Tim
