Kgalagadi Leopard Sightings

[nan]

Itumeleng

Around 14th - 31.1 - 9h29







with a kill

[nan]

Auchterlonie Female
9.6.2015 Kieliekrankie

© Jacques Moss

© Jacques Moss

© Jacques Moss

© Jacques Moss

© Jacques Moss

© Jacques Moss

© Jacques Moss

[Mel]

Miera
10/05/2016 at Batulama

We were approaching Batulama waterhole when I noticed a vehicle stopped on the side of the road just around a bend. Wondering as to why they had stopped, I was concentrating on the car ahead, when Debbie suddenly shouted “Leopard” That woke me up and made me stop super fast Sure enough, under a bush up on the left lay this lady:





We watched her for a while as she lay in the shade. She seemed pretty settled and after a bit FOMA set in and I wanted to know what the other car was watching. I had tried flashing my lights to alert them of the leopard but they had not noticed, so after a bit I drove the 30 or so meters up to them. These vultures were on a gemsbok kill which had hardly been touched, and there were no other predators around. The Dutch couple in the other car were ecstatic at the prospect of a leopard sighting and we both reversed back to the Leopard. We were not there for 5 minutes before she got off and disappeared over the ridge

[Flutterby]

An extremely close Kgalagadi leopard encounter

Click on the above link to see the photos.

When two Wild Card members took a holiday to the Kgalagadi, a day spent driving in search of a cobra took an unexpected turn with a surprising big cat sighting. By Olivia Wickstrom

On Wild Card member Wayne Canning’s recent visit to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, he and his wife took a game drive hoping to photograph a cobra in a sociable weaver’s nest. Wayne recalls:

“We were staying at Mata Mata and decided to spend the day driving around. We had a pretty successful morning seeing two great lions, a decent— if short— sighting of a leopard, and the usual old lion guarding the giraffe carcass that had been lying next to one of the pans for the past week. When we started the trip I remarked that I was desperate to see a cobra in a sociable weaver’s nest, and every time we passed a decent sized nest we would stop alongside or underneath and peer up hopefully into the nest. We were making our way back to camp when we passed under a rather large nest, so we made the obligatory stop and peered upwards.

“After scanning the nest and not finding anything we were ready to move on, but as we looked forward, we saw a vehicle heading towards us with something walking in front of it. We soon realized it was a young leopard and she was carrying something in her mouth, which we noticed was a small mouse. She stopped and lay down next to our vehicle, and gobbled it up. We were even more excited when we realised this small leopard was the infamous Masego. (Read more about individual leopards in the Kgalagadi Leopard Project’s identification guide.)

“Her inquisitive nature and the attraction of yet another snack lured her into the nest above the vehicle, and she was soon walking on top of the nest hunting for birds. Her hunt was unsuccessful and it soon looked like she might jump off the nest onto our bakkie. She thought better of this and expertly maneuvered herself down the trunk of the tree, and back onto the ground.

“She then sniffed around the car and moved over to my wife’s side of the vehicle, sniffing the bakkie and the side mirror. When she walked towards the back of the vehicle we no longer had a good view of her, but as she disappeared behind the vehicle we felt a soft thud on the roof and realised she had jumped onto the back of the bakkie,” says Wayne.

“This was way better than any cobra sighting and I was grinning from ear to ear. She stayed there for a few moments and posed for her photo to be taken before jumping off. After she jumped off, she wandered past the cars behind us and off into the bush.”

As cars began to drive past, observers told Wayne and his wife what they’d seen. “She had sniffed around and was particularly interested in the bag of firewood that was strapped on top – one person even asked if we’d hidden some biltong inside,” says Wayne.

Luckily an observer, Ayesha Cantor, captured photos of the encounter. “We are so pleased there are pictures to show the story, as we didn’t think anyone would believe it!”

[Mel]

As we learned of Barolong's death today, I decided to forestall my travel tale and rather dedicate my sightings of her on this thread.

Barolong

11th October 2016 at 3.20 pm at Urikaruus waterhole



The SO and I had just gotten up from a nap and while he wanted to grab a shower, I was about to make myself comfortable on the deck with some water and a a book, when I noticed a leopard approaching from the south. I was ever so grateful because considering the fact that we had slept for more than an hour, I thought that we had been extremely lucky that Baronlong had waited until we were up and running again before making her appearance.

However, I remember being a bit concerned because I knew she had two cubs that must have been something between 6 and 7 months old and they were nowhere to be seen. But I would have thought that they were old enough to tag along. Later I should learn that they still had been stashed away but were still alive. I was also slightly concerned that Barolong looked a bit on the thin side, but those things happen and often enough the animal will look much better again when seen a few days later.



She drank for a couple of minutes before plopping down in the shade underneath that big tree.



I kept watching her through my binocs. She was cleaning herself and didn't appear to go anywhere, so I decided I'd get some more water. By the time I had returned from the kitchen, the spot where Barolong had been lying was empty. Scanning the tree didn't get me anywhere, so I thought she had gone. But she came back for another drink around 6 pm and sauntered off to where she had come from we were told after coming back from our evening drive.

[Mel]

Barolong (RIP)

14th October 2016 around 7.30 am at Rooibrak waterhole



On our drive out of the park I had made the SO stop for a snake-eagle about 300 metres north of the waterhole. We could see a car being parked there but nothing else. So while I was taking a photo of the eagle, the SO scanned the waterhole with his binocs and announced "Leopard!". Needless to say that the eagle was quickly forgotten, but by the time we made it to the waterhole, Barolong was already on her way back into the dunes.



When you look at her fur closely, you'll notice how ruffled it looks. She also appeared thinner than three days earlier, but I still thought that her eyes were alert and not showing signs of distress, fatigue, illness... any sign that she would be dead 9 days later.

Rest in Peace, Barolong.

[Mel]

Safran & Matlho

06/10/2016 around 8.00 am at Lijersdraai waterhole

Approaching Lijersdraai, we found a variety of animals hanging around the waterhole and the overflow pools respectively. No leopard then, we guessed because all the animals didn't appear nervous just a little bit. We slowly drove down to one of the overflow puddles in order not to disturb any of the animals when all of a sudden the SO pointed at the shrubs behind said water and asked: "What's that there?" LEOPARD! No, actually two of them!
By now I have learned to "point and shoot" as quickly as I can because often enough sightings were over before I had managed a photo. So while the SO was still rolling to a halt I had the camera going already. The settings hadn't been ideal, as I had need much more light to capture the brown hyena in the road...





I managed about ten shots in rapid succession before I took the camera down to adjust the settings and settling in for a wonderful leopard sighting. The cub had still been sitting in the shrubs and all I could see of it was the head and the front, but I thought I'd take some photos of it once it came closer. Only... it never did. Before we knew what was happening, Safran was bolting



And with that her cub was obviously gone too

[Mel]

Dakotah

10/10/2016 - south of Montrose

Around midday


Late afternoon, dragging away a springbok carcass that he probably stole of a cheetah the evening before...

[Mel]

Dakotah

11/10/2016 - south of Montrose

Around 9 am


Around 5 pm

[Mel]

Miera

14/10/2016 - around Batulama, unfortunately without her two cubs.

Checking those round green shrubs for some prey.


Moving closer to the road.


Unsuccessfully chasing a wild cat.