We had wors rolls at Tshokwane and I did my normal sighting board stalking, however there wasn’t much happening south of Tshokwane except I did get information about a leopard kill on the S3 very close to Kruger gate from someone who had travelled up from there.
The H1-2 down to Skukuza produced the normal gang, so we stopped a few times, but it was generally rather quiet and we arrived in the Skukuza area at around 11am which was way too early for book in, so we decided to cruise to the leopard kill we had been told about.
There was some initial confusion trying to find the leopard kill, but we eventually found it right next to the road on a little loop 2km down the S3 from the H11 as there were a couple of cars parked off waiting, including some imbecile who had parked directly under the kill, but there was no leopard in sight.
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I parked and switched off a little back from the crowd and we cracked some cooldrinks as it was now around 38 degrees and rather uncomfortable.
Another cool older couple arrived and started chatting to us because they had seen a glimpse of a leopard earlier in the riverbed close to us, so I started scanning the riverbed bush and quietly said to the Cow
“The leopard is right here through the bush under a rock ledge.”
After a few more explanations of “that tree, that rock to the right, etc” everyone in the car could see the ear and spots. Nobody else at the sighting was looking anywhere close to where the leopard was which was strange, but after 15 minutes there was some movement from under the ledge and we could see a small leopard staring through the bush at us.
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The leopard checked out all the cars and then went back under the rock ledge.
It was roasting hot and people couldn’t handle it so 1 at a time they were leaving and we noticed that each time a car started up to leave the leopard peered through the bush to check and then ducked back under the rock ledge. I then realised that the leopard wanted to return to it’s kill, but the imbecile who had parked slightly off the road and directly under the kill was causing the problem. The older couple agreed, but said they were afraid to talk to him for fear of violence, however it was a leopard, so I wasn’t going to relax.
After further negotiation it was agreed that we would both head for Kruger gate for the loo and some ice creams and then return with the hope that the final 2 cars had moved off, but I decided at the last minute to improve our chances of this and stopped next to the imbecile.
“Do you realise that the leopard has come up 3 times in the last half an hour and each time turned back because of where you are parked, you need to move and give it some space!”
I got a blank faces from the sweating occupants and then
“We haven’t seen the leopard”
“Well, you won’t if you stay parked off here!” and we left in convoy with the older couple.
The ice creams were a welcome relief in the heat even though they broke the bank, but 20 minutes later we were back on the road to the leopard kill and my confidence grew as we entered the S3 because the imbecile that was parked under the leopard kill earlier pasted us heading the opposite direction.
I noticed that there were no cars in the little loop as we approached, but I was still checking the riverbed, so got a big skrik when the Cow shouted
“It’s in the tree!”
I hit brakes immediately because I already knew it was a nervous leopard, however the elderly couple who were travelling behind us also pulled into the loop and this was too much for the leopard and it started to move but stopped halfway down the tree to peer at us.
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To be continued
It looks like a very young leopard and maybe it has had some bad experience with a car, because normally they don't even look at them 
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