A little after I’d started working at Kapama, my tracker had asked me if I’ve ever seen a “Leopard riding a bicycle”? After much thought, I could not even think of an answer, let alone understand what he meant…! After a few weeks I asked him again what he meant and he gave me his answer – “It’s a Leopard sleeping in a tree with its legs hanging down!” So with every Leopard sighting I’ve been waiting expectantly for this “Leopard riding his bicycle”…
Last night I was rewarded and finally got to see my Leopard sleeping in a tree! We had an awesome sighting of a female Leopard and her, now much larger, cub playing and then resting in a fallen Jackal-Berry Tree. The adult Leopard had made a kill and both were very content with their bellies full.
A little later we found two female lions eating what was left of a young Giraffe, when suddenly both stopped and listened intently. With the wind gusting, it was difficult to fathom what they were hearing, but a little later I could hear more clearly – the adult male Lion was calling in search of his Ladies! We went in search of him and found him, lying in the long grass, promptly ignoring our presence he roared and fall fast asleep – again!
This morning was a rather chilly 6degC with a gusting wind (about 19kph). Most animals are rather skittish in this weather and game viewing can be a challenge. However, we were lucky to have found the Elephant and a very big herd of Buffalo, both being excellent sightings. Our Honeymooning Lions are still together and were last seen wondering back into the bush!
Hailey Bunge (Kapama River Lodge Ranger)
