See the leopard? See the leopard?

Well, I was extremely lucky to have caught sight of this magnificent predator (I believed it to be a female). I guess all these past months of “training” my eye to see things in the bush paid off…I am told that it’s extremely rare and lucky to see a leopard in Etosha. Even though I’d been up close and personal with the three we’d trapped on Okambara, ‘d never just spotted one in the wild. It was quite a rush for me!

 

Hard to see, right?  Well, here are some more shots as I tracked her movement through the bush. Isn’t she beautiful???

 

She laid down for some reason.

Then  started off again…

Then I guessed she was headed to the water hole, so I drove there and waited…and was eventually rewarded…

 

And…what’s this? A SECOND LEOPARD? OMG! I almost didn’t see her! (It’s hard, but can you see both of them in the photo? There definitely are two!)

The two leopards were definitely aware of each other, and my conjecture is that they were a mother and a daughter, since leopards are territorial. Mother often help “support” their young for a couple of years because they have such a high reproductive investment in them.)

Leopard # 2 got a drink on the other side of the water hole.

Then she went over to a log and hopped up.

She sniffed for a bit, then she proceeded to mark the log.

 

 

 

 

 

And then wandered off behind my car.

 

Lovely!

I am such a lucky gal!