On one of our latest private Nature Travel Namibia safaris with awesome clients from Australia we had an incredible time in Etosha with not one but two amazing Leopard sightings in the Park
On our first morning we set off on the Dik-dik drive to check out Klein Namutoni waterhole. Just past the waterhole we had an incredible sighting of a young female Leopard spotted right next to the road by our guest with her keen eagle eyes. We watched the Leopard grooming and moving around and eventually she tried to make a kill of a Dik-dik but narrowly missed. We spent over an hour with this female. It was a real treat and privilege to see such a beautiful animal. Leopard are not easy to see in Etosha so it was a real lucky sighting!
Our second sighting came on day three at Kalkheuwel waterhole, when our guest shouted “Leopard!” This lead to us having the most amazing sighting of 2 sub adults all to ourselves for about 20 minutes. Both of them came really close to the car and we got brilliant views as they crossed the road in-front of us. Another very fortunate sighting for our wildlife tour in Namibia.
Leopards are known to have remnant populations in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, eastern Ahaggar (Hoggar) massif in Algeria, and the coastal ranges of South Africa. Elsewhere, it occurs widely in the Middle East and Asia, extending into China. The Leopard is one of the five extant species of the genus Panthera, which also includes the Jaguar (P. onca), the Lion (P. leo), the Snow Leopard (P. uncia) and the Tiger (P. tigris). These amazing cats are such great hunters. They can run up to 36 mph (58 kph), jump forward 20 feet (6 meters) and leap 10 feet (3 m) straight up. Leopards’ ears can hear five times more sounds that the human ear. The Leopard’s spots are called rosettes because they look like roses. In my opinion one of the most beautiful cats to see on safari and it is always a very special treat when we do see them. What are you waiting for? Join us on Namibian wildlife safari today!
Written by Marc Cronje – Nature Travel Guide
oh wow, that’s it, we are coming back to Etosha