Big tomcat 19/8/2011

Straight to Mdonya juu, lions were there yesterday and often they stay in the area for 2 or 3 days...I expected to see them at the water but they surprised me, we found them laying in the grass of the open plain. A big male, several females and cubs and a younger male.The sun was not up yet, the light was getting better minute after minute and the cats were in a perfect position. Cubs were playing, adults were mostly sitting... classic early morning lions..... but there was something odd. The young male started following a female, the big male stood up and walked straight to her and this stopped the young male immediately.Then the other females and the cubs started moving, they got close to the young male and one of the female started biting its rump. Not big bites, more pinching the skin but it was painful enough for the male to growl back and set in a defensive posture. We thought that something was going to happen but as other females came some went on harrassing him while others were simply greeting him. Strange! Later they all moved towards a drainage line, the big male trailing after the females and the young one keeping his distance.We could still see them from far when they sat down in thicker bush. One lioness stood up, walked to the young male and greeted him profusely then she moved 5 mtrs off and layed down, the young male definitely lured by this moved appraoched her and this triggered the reaction of the big male.In a split of a second he bolted like a lightening and hit the young male with a full charge in a thunder of growling... dust rised in a big cloud and the young male had to move distant again. Pure power!Mika called me that they just saw a leopard in Sokwe forest attacking an impala ram, the cat managed to hold the impala for few seconds but then lost the grip... and the impala gained back its freedom.... this makes the 4th leopard sighting for him in the last two days.... man-o- man. We drove off, and drove around a bit, eventually we ended up in Kimilamatonge and... surprise.... we also had our treat...Big big male leopard in the shadow of a huge granite boulder... the cat was very relaxed, looking at us from its confortable position. A stunning beast, its presence betrayed by the alarm call of the rock hyraxes....After some minutes he stood up and slowly walked off climbing up the hill.... such a marvellous creature exuding power from every pore...We watched him going away and disappearing in the rocks...In the afternoon we got a call and went to check a cheetah in Serengeti ndogo... we arrived and there was a circus of cars so we decided to proceed and come back later. As we drove around we enjoyed the wonderful scenary of the place with baobabs in the yellow grass and far hills on the horizon... breathtaking. Eventually we saw the cat, just a sleepy cat... but still a beautiful one