I SAW A LEOPARD!!!!
Today was the day for cats. Shortly after leaving the hotel we were parked on the side of the road watching two lions doing it, and while I’m not enough of a voyeur to have taken photos of the actual act, I did get a few cool shots of the stud posing before and after. From there it was on to four male lions who had killed a cape buffalo and were surrounded by a dozen hyenas waiting for their chance at a snack. When the last of the lions had his fill and had retreated to the bushes the hyenas moved in, at which point one of the lions came roaring out of slumber and chased them away – Doug Cheeseman says he’s only seen lions male defending a kill once before in his 70 trips to Tanzania; it was a mighty impressive charge.
From there it was on to my favorite moment of the day. We pulled up on three other stopped vehicles, and a leopard was resting in a tree perhaps fifty feet from the road. Almost as soon as we stopped he climbed down the tree, and instead of just slinking off into the grass he started stalking a herd of gazelle that was nearby. Maulidi put the vehicle in absolutely perfect position to watch the leopard creeping past a noisy mongoose den, into the tall grasses, and finally charge out from perhaps ten feet away at the gazelle. It was tough to see through the grass, but we saw gazelle scatter and one in particular leap up into the air and away before a disappointed leopard emerged and walked to a far tree with nothing to show for his efforts. If I haven’t said it enough already, I am enjoying some tremendous experiences, and life is very, very good right now.
We stopped for lunch and ate with dwarf mongoose running past everyone’s feet looking for crumbs, had a pair of hunting lions pass in front of the vehicle while driving to our next destination, and eventually arrived at the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. Tomorrow we’re up at 6AM for an early departure into a crater that is world famous for its wildlife, and as has been the case each night of this trip, I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
