The tsetse flies are annoying and pesky, but I would encourage them to bite away if we could have the luxury of seeing a leopard every day! According to our ranger, Mohammed, most leopards (this one was a female with her male baby), stay in the trees during the day, and only come out at night to hunt. They are incredibly shy creatures, and spend most of the day out of sight. In order to get this shot, we idled in the tall grass for almost 45 minutes. Every time we would turn the engine on, it would startle the mother and she would dart into the high, shaded rock formation.
These animals are so beautiful-- it makes me sad that they are poached! Despite some of the Government's efforts, according to our rangers, it is an extremely difficult practice to regulate given the sheer size of the territory that must be monitored. Once you observe one of these creatures in such close proximity, its beauty and "personality" are truly impressive and I can't imagine hunting such exotic creatures.
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