Off again looking for leopards.

Hippo prints in the riverbed

Our first leopard of the day was Split Rock, a large male.

He was drooling and agitated, which is usually a sign that a leopard believes there is another leopard nearby in their territory.

He didn’t find another leopard while we were around.

Mala Mala has a large population of leopards and our guide had pages of “mugshots” of leopards he could used to help in identification. They primarily use the spots (number and orientation) above the whiskers for ID and then add on any other identifying characteristics. For example, Split Rock has two spots in a line above the whiskers on the right and two spots in a line also on the left.

We had the opportunity to see a Southern African wildcat for about a minute, but it was too far off for picture. These are about 10 lbs, look similar to a tabby cat, and are nocturnal. They aren’t endangered, but we have never seen one.

Fish eagle eating

We ran across a large herd of elephants.

This little guy was having trunk issues.

Marshall eagle

Nile monitor

Our second leopard of the day was Piccadilly, a female. We found her walking in the riverbed.

This male southern white rhino has a history of being aggressive and has even fought a bull elephant.

And, finally, our third and fourth leopards of the day.

Sambuye: we have seen her once before very briefly in the dark on the 5th.

Sambuye has 2 cubs, a male and a female, about 15 months old. They are unnamed and will remain so until they reach adulthood. The male had apparently wandered away, but we got to see the female, who had walked off a bit but was still close by grooming.