Leopards at Sunrise!

Authentic Tanzania have their mobile camp set up just at the foot of Kilimatonge mountain in the Ruaha National Park. The mountain is made up of jutting granite boulders, shrub and trees and is heavily populated with Rock Hyrax. Perfect conditions for Leopard!. I stayed there last month and at night we heard the leopard calling. In the morning we found track marks right through the camp. After the excitement we sat down for breakfast and to everyone's delight, we spotted a leopard walking across the face of the mountain. After watching it for a few moments it slipped behind the rock on the right in the picture below. A few moments later, a second leopard came on the scene and I was able to capture him walking up to the female just as the sun was cresting the mountain side. It was a magical moment and one I will treasure every time I look at this picture.

I captured this small leopard hiding in thick shrub near Mdonya Old River camp in Ruaha.

This is another resident Leopard at Kilimatonge mountain. Photo by Sven Liebchen.

Majestic animals, worth the hunt it takes to find them. Photo by Sven Liebchen.

#Ruaha