"The Kill"

The kill

What excitement! We got to see a leopard in action our second and last night on the Mala Mala Game Reserve (July 6). As we were heading back to the lodge, our ranger heard over the radio about a leopard sighting nearby. The other ranger had lost site of the leopard and ours was trying to find it. Next thing we know, it is crossing the road about 30 feet in front of us. We quickly followed it into the bush. We parked next to a tall thick bush. The leopard's tail started moving all around almost like it was feeling the ground. Our ranger said thats what they do when they get excited stalking their prey. Suddenly, the leopard dashed in the bush, a crested francolin flew overhead, and the leopard had a baby francolin in it's mouth. The leopard not even 5 feet away looks at our car and it almost felt like it was going to jump at us. It walked around the 4x4 and devoured the bird. After, it came back to our car like it was looking for something. We later discovered that another baby francolin was sitting right next to our tire. The leopard had seen it and was trying to find it, but our 4x4 saved that bird's life.

While Justin would say it does not count as a kill siting, it definitely was an experience to watch a leopard stalk, kill, and eat it's prey.