Our time in Kenya and Tanzania included plenty of lions but, when it came to the next big cat on the food chain, things were a lot less common.  The leopards were there to be seen but they were not anywhere near as numerous.  It doesn’t help that, unlike the lions that live in large prides, the leopards have a solitary existence.  If you are in a territory, it is one leopard that you are looking for.

We did have some encounters, though.  The first leopard we came across was at the beginning of the day as we headed out from the hotel.  We hadn’t got very far when our guide spotted a leopard sitting on a termite mound.  We stopped and got some shots of it and then tried to get closer but leopards are a lot more skittish than other cats and it didn’t take much to spook this one.  It ran off up the hills.

Our next encounter was with one that had been busy feeding.  On a couple of occasions, we had seen carcasses of animals up in trees where the leopard had pulled them.  In this case, the leopard had then taken to another tree to rest after its meal.  We were quite close beneath it, but it didn’t seem bothered about us and I don’t think it was likely to pounce down on us.  Instead, it was sleeping and barely recognizing our presence.

The other encounters we had were probably with the same leopard but this time down in some bushes alongside a river.  The first time the leopard was pretty well in the bushes and was lying down.  It didn’t seem intent on doing much and we left it after a short while.  Back in the same area on another day, it was on the move.  We were able to be ahead of it and it walked towards us before cutting back into the bushes and being lost from sight again.

The leopards are such powerful creatures, and they look far more menacing than, say, the cheetahs.  Their ability to haul a heavy animal up into a tree is impressive and, pound for pound, they are stronger than the lions.  However, the lions will still take them out if given the chance.  With overlapping territories, this is not something to be ruled out.  I’m glad we got the time with them that we did.