Our appreciation of all things created by Mother Nature is no secret, and if truth be told, we are rather obsessed with birds, but we can’t deny that we are just like everybody else when it comes to Africa’s big cats. We agree that not all game drives need to be centred around these agile felines, but we can’t deny the excitement associated with spotting the golden mane of a sleeping lion, or catching the swishing tail of a leopard out of the corner of the eye! This week, we unapologetically celebrated cats and selected some of our favourite photos of leopards and lions captured over the last year by photographers Em Gatland and Kevin MacLaughlin. Spoil yourself and read on through this Photographic Journey through Big Cat Territory.
Moth-eaten ears give this lady’s age away, while her expertly tuned senses reveal that she is still a leader in the animal kingdom. An engrained drive to survive is innate to every member of the wild, and just because these king cats come with piercing claws, power, and deadly canines, they are not exempt from the fight. A magnificent capture of an aging queen of the Kruger by Em Gatland.
Genius of stealth, camouflage, and agility; the leopard is the queen of the night and the king of the darkness. The continents of the world are roamed under the cover of night by leopards expertly adapted to their unique surroundings. This is the African leopard, captured in a glimmer of light through mottled undergrowth as she leaves her scent on the shrubbery that occupies her territory in the South African Lowveld. This sleek female looks after herself and her cubs until they too leave her and she resumes a life of solitude, executing the perfect kill in utter silence. Magic!
A pair of little leaders spotted in Botswana’s prestigious Savuti kingdom. In the company of 3 doting lionesses, these diminutive members of the pride were being aggressively groomed by their mother’s rough tongues while the pride rested in the heat of the day. One of the cubs bore the scars of what could have been an interaction with a spitting cobra or another abrasive eye injury, showing us that the lives of cubs is difficult right from the get go. It will only get tougher for these little ones, but that’s what gives them their status as animal royalty. Superb sighting while on safari at Camp Savuti.
Framed. This female leopard was captured perfectly in a natural circle of summer greens as she fed on the last scraps of her prey that had fallen to the floor, before hyenas has the chance to snack. A superb capture in this moment with a spectacular killer of the Kruger.
War-torn warrior bears the truth of what life is like at the top of the foodchain in the African kingdom. Endlessly battling to defend his reign, keep his territory, and fight for his food, a male lion works hard for his position, and the likelihood of a dignified death at the end of the day is slim. From the moment a lion matures, he is ousted from his maternal pride and the battle to take over territory and a pride begins. To find a coalition brother or to go it alone are the two realities he faces, and neither comes without grievous threat. But these predators are resilient. This male belonged to a coalition of 3 that became known as The Trilogy, and he was eventually the last one standing. Under pressure from a new coalition moving into his territory, he fled and it was assumed he would never be seen again. Some many months later he returned to his old turf, briefly paired with a younger ally, and remains today defending a territory once again. What a privilege to have watched his life in the wild Timbavati and Klaserie Reserves.
Such splendid form, in perfect balance with her home in nature. The iconic leopard is designed to morph into her surroundings, using trees and shrubbery and the cover of darkness to give her unique access to the prey she lives to hunt.
Focus. Intensity. Accuracy.
This young lioness was in peak condition, donning sleek, golden fur, unblemished by the nature of the world around her. Her position in her pride means she will certainly earn scars on her velvety pelt and notches in her ears, while badly calculated hunts might win her broken bones or punctured muscle. The life she leads in the wild will see her growing from youthful beauty queen to regal matriarch, decorated with the etchings of a true huntress.
Colours upon colours born in nature. Green, gold, ebony and amber glisten and simmer in the dappled shade and sunlight; the result of which is this striking image of a young male leopard. Still benefiting from his mother’s expertise, this handsome fellow is watching and absorbing and experimenting with the tactics his mother has perfected. This is “the stalk”; a silent and fluid movement designed to surprise the unsuspecting grazers, but there it is no easy feat and until this young tom has got it just right, he’d best stay under mom’s protective wing.
Gentle shades of soft winter tones giving this freshly fed lion a well camouflaged place to relax and digest. In the searing heat of summer as it is now, we forget that the emerald jewel tones tenderise to pale khakis and the brilliant specks of flowering blooms wilt and drop off as their stems dry up and harden. The beige pelts of these regal cats are disguised in the faded grass and on would never know that a deadly threat lies waiting for an opportunity to pounce.
We’ve delved into the world of big cats this week, highlighting leopards and lions in their most spectacular forms and truly appreciating their unique appeal as leading predators of the untamed world. Big cats continue to drive safaris and retain the interest of residents and visitors alike, and we have to say we get it! We love elephants and birds and the intricacies of termite communities, but cats have a beauty we familiarise with, and they are certainly captured well by the camera.
