Leopard mating!!!!!!!!!!! 25/06/2011

After we had seen pangolin, I did not expect good luck would struck
us so soon.....
We had a looooong drive in the morning looking for cheetah.... all the
Mwagusi to the confluence... all the ruaha river and then to camp....
many kilometers and zero cheetahs.... just sleepy lions...
Luckily Ayoub called me in the afternoon into a long deserved cheetah
sighting... we drove to the river again and we watched a nice cheetah
under a lone bush in the open plains. we waited for it to move but
when we realized that he had different plans we decided to move off...
When we reached the old airstrip I thought to have a look to the east,
towards an area full of granite boulders.
Just at the base of the main group of rocks we saw an hyena an two
jackals... we stopped to take a couple of picks when I spotted
something in a corridor between two big rocks.... a leopard... as soon
as I told the guest I spotted another one, much smaller and very shy
climbing on the rocks.... at first from far I thought mother and
cub but when we went closer I realized it was a big male....
We watched him for long and then we went looking for the female, she
was on the other side but she slipped off as soon as she saw us....
so, back to the male, he was also walking and climbed other rocks on
the west... we drove around again and here he was, beautiful male on
top of a rock..... he was laying there but fully awake, looking often
to the left. Some good time later he stood up and moved just because
the female arrived, she crouched and he mounted her.... man-o-
man....... leopard mating......... It was very very brief, proper cat
style and all ended with a big snarl.....and... and I missed the final
shot... my camera was not focusing... I could not believe that.. I was
so sad.. .... but as my guests said... what counts a digital shot
compared to what I had stored in my memory bank??
We waited for them to mate again but the male moved another rock,
nicely silhoutted against the western evening sky and the female
disappeared.
We found her again on the other side, she was trying to hunt hyrax....
but soon slipped off again...
The male on the other hand was still posing and eventually walked on
the rock, the sun already down... dark against the blue sky....
UNBELIEVABLE.... man.... all this was insane... ok I missed the best
shot and I really felt bad.. but maaaaaannnn.....my first leopard spot
of the season ended up in my best leopard sighting ever....

UNFORGETTABLE!!!!