27/10/2016
Leopard
Kabini | October 2016
It was our final evening safari at Kabini when we got a call saying that there was a Tiger at a waterhole. We rushed to the waterhole, but unfortunately for us, the Tiger had come down to the water hole to drink water twice, but we had missed it. When we reached there, the tiger was still sleeping behind the bushes. We could see its body, but not its head. We waited for about 45 minutes for it show mercy on us, but it didn't. At the same time, we got another call saying that a leopard was sleeping on a tree, right next to the safari track in the open. We were in a dilemma. What if we leave and the tiger decides to have a drink and we miss it again and the long, anxious wait would be for nothing or what if we miss the Leopard too. We decided to leave the tiger alone and head for the Leopard. We reached the spot and there he was, lazing on the tree, belly full, without a care of the 3 other jeeps at the spot. I had never seen anything that big on a tree ever, the bold male leopard of Kabini. It was around 6:00 PM on a winter evening and the light was fading fast. We had limited time as the safari was nearing its end. Nevertheless, I managed to make a few images. It was my first sighting of a Leopard on a tree and it was an amazing one.
Thanks for viewing.