The tread churned against the gravel as we turned the corner. Katie sat passengered, staring out the window with peace resting in her eyes and content dwelling in her heart, a feeling that only this magical place brings upon us. My foot lightly placed on the accelerator, eyes gliding through the veld and nostrils flared as I filled my lungs with the invisible purity that floats as the epitome of mother nature’s essence. With the sky still darkened by her joy and the leaves crying tears of gratitude I payed attention and marvelled in the serenity.
In an instant the panicked outbursts by a confusion of helmeted Guineafowl broke the tranquility and electrified the air. With our senses sharpened we slowed our journey and focused, Katie noticed a pair of African Hawk Eagles soaring above, perhaps they were the cause of all the concern. Or perhaps it was the illusion that we were searching for. A treasure with a most powerful attribute, the ability to impart joy on those who bare witness to such magnificence. We drifted along the meander a short while longer before our ambitions were realised. He lay dormant for just a moment, anyone so inclined would attest to time itself freezing in that moment, suspended in the present, the soul of the beholder fills to the brim, fills only with what is good. He rose and glided off the road into the brush, the strong contrast between the glow of his coat and the scorched earth behind him will forever be etched in my mind. Beams of light began to pierce the clouds and flowed through the broken canopy onto his golden coat as he sought a suitable throne. We knew this leopard, he is regal. He came to rest close by, with the shrubbery hugging the open space he had chosen, we observed his grace through the window and in comfort, a mesmerising pale coat with a defining footprint pattern near his left eye and the stare of relaxed confidence left no doubt. We knew this leopard.
I found myself in disbelief and questioning, why? Why did he come to rest so close to us? These cats are born with the inherent memory to elude, they are famed for it. Yet this Leopard is famed for the most remarkable sightings , he shows no fear. His legend grows every evening as grateful onlookers tell their tales around the camp fire. A pursuit of his quarry from beneath an open safari vehicle, walking for kilometres on end down an open road, scores of vehicles packed with adoring fans fumbling over their cameras and each other in tow and at times emerging from his hidden safety and approaching those so desperately trying to spot him. The why doesn’t matter, it is important to appreciate the serendipity and say ‘thank you.’
We spent a lifetime with the Prince that day, we watched him clean the damp soot residue off his front paws, first with a flick and then with a lick. We learned he felt strongly about flies, his ears would twitch a couple times before he’d reached the end of his tolerance, when a swot failed then he would comically bite the air and hope that he caught one. Without warning he perked up from a slumber, looked intently to his left and leapt into the thicket. We heard branches snap, hooves thunder away and Impala alarm calls. The hunt wasn’t a success but it was a stark reminder that these cats are predators at the top of their game.
Long live the golden footprint Leopard.
A big thank you to the administration of the leopard project in the Pilanesberg National Park for their efforts and the awareness they have created.
