A Disguised Descent

Serengeti, Africa

Earth Day Release 2019

What an incredible encounter! I felt so lucky when, on day two of being in the Serengeti, we happened upon this leopard sleeping in a tree. When she saw something moving in the grass, perhaps lunch, she was down the tree in seconds.

Leopards are astoundingly strong.  Pound for pound, they are the strongest of the big cats. They will sometimes take their prey up a tree to ensure lions and hyenas can’t steal it. Even with heavy prey, they can climb trees easily. They run up to 58km/h, and can leap 6 meters horizontally, and 3 meters vertically. They are the most elusive and secretive of the large cats, and are extremely difficult to locate in the wild. Trust me, they blend into these trees!

Though leopards are rather ferocious predators, it seems that they also have a softer side. During the National Geographic programme ‘Eye of the Leopard’, a wild leopard killed a baboon in order to feed herself. Upon noticing an infant baboon clinging to the dead baboon, the leopard carried the infant up to the safety of a tree to guard her from hyenas. She then groomed and cuddled the baby through the night, caring for it as she would her own cub. 

Limited Edition 8x10 and larger to 900

Conservation Edition 30x40 to 25