How to Spot a Leopard
Every morsel of food, every sip of water, the air we breathe is the result of work done by other species.
Nature gives us everything we need to survive. Without them there is no us.
— Enric Sala Conservationist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence
You know how to spot a leopard? asked Kupai, as we bumped down the track in the Toyota Land Cruiser. “Look for a tail hanging in a tree!” I replied triumphantly, feeling the flush of pleasure of showing the teacher I’d learned something about finding leopards. Being on safari is like going on a treasure hunt. We never know what we will find, but we are confident we will find something awesome.
It was two years before I spotted my first leopard. They are elusive cats and masters of invisibility. Nature didn’t give these athletic felines a beautiful spotted coat for beauty alone. Their dappled rosettes on a cream-coloured background are the perfect elements for a disappearing act.
The second year I returned to Kenya I wore my leopard lingerie aka leopard underpants, for good luck. After three days on safari, we still hadn’t seen a leopard. Ever hopeful, I got up early the last morning for one more game drive before we met our flight back to Nairobi. A few yards outside the lodge gates we came face to face with a big male leopard standing smack in the middle of the road. He stared at me as if to say, “Okay woman, you keep on passing me on your game drives, so I thought I’d make it easy for you.” I like to think he also appreciated my lucky underwear effort.
Over the following years I’ve been blessed with many leopard sightings. Fig, a famous female leopard who lives on the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, adjacent to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, is a regular in my stories. It helps that she’s a show off. She’s a poser and seems to enjoy the attention of a circle of eager photographers. My most memorable encounter with Fig was the day she chose the undercarriage of our vehicle for a break from the sun. What do you do when there’s a leopard under your truck? Stay still and be quiet!
Friends in a nearby Land Cruiser waved when Fig was ready to leave the shady cover of our truck. I stuck my head out and aimed my camera downwards. With the shutter on fast speed, I pressed the button as soon as I saw her spotted head. Fig and I locked eyes for an instant. The alarm centre in my brain flashed - I popped back into the truck - you do not mess with leopards! Fig snarled for the camera and then slunk away towards a treelined creek.
Since that first morning with Fig, I’ve seen her every time I’ve visited the conservancy. She’s known as Queen Fig for a reason, she likes to hold court from high places. Late one afternoon we found Fig in the grass near a creek. Like a model on a photo shoot, she climbed a dead tree and proceeded to pose for us from her lofty throne until the sun went down.
I’ll be back in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy in June with a small group of safari goers. Fig has had a new cub since I saw her last. Fingers crossed we find both Fig and her daughter. I’ll be looking for that long tail of hers with the white tip. My fifteen-year-old granddaughter is coming with me this time. Her generation is part of the growing momentum and demand to save wildlife and protect the environment for future generations. I hope Fig shows up for an introduction!
We have a couple of spaces available on this upcoming small group safari. Send me an email if you would like to know more about the trip.