A View to a Kill

In Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa, tour guide Leon Marais keeps a close eye on one of his favourite Leopards – an 18-year-old female called Safari … with her physical condition deteriorating steadily every kill she misses amplifies to become a potentially fatal mistake.

Safari the Leopard by Leon Marais

The Sabi Sand Game Reserve, a destination on our Just Cats! tours in South Africa, offers some of the best predator viewing imaginable. The high numbers of large ungulates such as Buffalo, zebra, Wildebeest, kudu and impala support a healthy resident population of Lions, Leopards and Spotted Hyena, while both Cheetah and Wild Dog are regular visitors from the neighbouring Kruger National Park. Of all these exciting species, it’s the Leopard that is the mainstay of the reserve’s game viewing, with dozens of individuals seen regularly across the reserve. In order to eliminate confusion over the identity of each individual they have been allocated names, which often contain a reference to the geography of the animal’s territory. One such animal is ‘Safari’, the name being a shortened version of ‘the Arathusa Safari Lodge female’, a favourite Leopard in the northern part of the reserve. At 18 years of age she’s currently in the evening of her life, with her physical condition deteriorating steadily and every kill she misses amplifies to become a potentially fatal mistake.

We caught up with Safari early one morning on the second Just Cats! trip of October 2010, finding her up on a large termite mound, surveying the surrounding savannah for likely prey. Before we could pull into the sighting she was on the move again, slinking off in the direction of the next large termite mound, and we finally got into position as she lay down on the summit. At this age she’s no longer the sleek, beautiful animal that she once was, especially with her obvious handicap – a swollen, ghoulish right eye as a result of an injury incurred several years ago which has limited her sight but certainly not her ability to survive in this harsh world.

Despite her advanced age, her grace and intensity was still evident as she spotted something in the bush and slunk off to investigate. Our guide started up and we moved around to follow, and before we even realised it Safari had chased and caught a Steenbok, which was killed quickly and quietly. She then dragged it over to the base of a large Marula Tree, into which she could hoist it if threatened by another predator such as a spotted hyena, to which Leopards lose a good many kills. Fortunately, no Lions or Hyenas appeared and Safari began feeding, with a couple of days’ worth of food at her feet if all went well. And while none of us were exactly happy that the Steenbok met its end right there in front of us, it was a privilege to be witness to nature at its most basic. After we’d seen enough, we decided to move on to whatever else the morning would bring us, leaving Safari to her kill and, in a way, happy that the decent meal would see her through a few more weeks at least (btw … she’s still alive now in April 2011!).

Another successful kill for Safari by Leon Marais

For more information on our 'South Africa – Just Cats!' tour, click here.