On 26th we came across the same leopard* soon after 2pm, so decided to stake it out until we had to be out of the park at 6pm; all our eggs in one basket from that point on; we would either have a great experience or simply a lovely afternoon in wonderful nature.

We found the leopard resting atop a different rock, surveying the flat lands in front of it. After half an hour or so it decided to try and catch a buffalo calf that was resting with its parents directly next to our jeep. The entire herd of buffalo closed ranks to protect it though, so the leopard failed and went back up on to the rock. At this point, knowing we were unlikely to miss anything for the few minutes it would take, we moved to a better vantage point much closer to the leopard and settled down to wait, out of sight from any passing jeep and alone. After half an hour the leopard stood up and sloped off out of sight to sleep under a mango tree that was shading part of the rock. After a brief visit to confirm it was there – it was and we could just make out one leg through the undergrowth – we went back to our vantage point and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After a couple of hours the leopard was awake and back in view. Not only that, but we were now in the golden hour again and as the day before, with the sun behind us; perfect lighting to see this magnificent animal even closer than yesterday’s at barely 20 metres away on the rock and much, much closer to come.

After waking up over a period of half an hour or so, the leopard’s whole demeanour changed when it saw the buffalo calf still on the plain below – but now with only its parents for protection and not the entire herd. The build-up was electrifying to watch at such close quarters; the leopard assuming hunched and fluid movements with focused eyes and killer face, its cunning stalking (including to play dead when realised that the buffalo had spotted it) and the buffalo’s protection tactics for their calf, including to retreat behind a wide pond of unknown depth to stop the leopard making the final 75 metre sprint over otherwise open ground.

Park rules expressely prohibit getting between an attacker and its prey but by trying to think ahead we were always in the right place at the right time as the leopard indirectly routed over open ground and through undergrowth to set itself up. My penultimate photo sums up the buffaloes’ feeling of exposure and helplessness and the last one verging on submission to the almost inevitable, three necks lowered in unison; we doubt that the calf saw the light of the following day.

For the photographers; the final two shots were taken in very dim light after sunset, hand held at a slow 1/50 second with  long 560mm equivalent focal length.  A tough task in the first place even with image stabilisation, but here I was high up in the back of a Toyota Hilux 4×4 pickup with soft and long-travel off-road suspension; the slightest fidget had it rocking.  With careful technique and all aboard quite literally holding their breath I had the captures in the bag.  Photography as team work.  

I’ve published a full set of images to visualise the unfolding events as described above.

Steve

*Confirmed by a scar on its hind right leg visible in images from both days.