Everyone hopes to see a Wild Cat or a Predator during a Wildlife Safari. However, a Leopard sighting is purely a matter of chance, given the elusive nature of the Leopard. The time, location and manner in which this big cat is sighted are always unpredictable.

Inside the jungle this time, my attention was diverted by a large herd of elephants which were grazing luxuriously on the fresh grass – a gift of the monsoons. We continued on our journey, eagerly hoping to see more animals. On the way, we were lucky enough to spot two Leopards on a tree. The sighting got us very excited.

Leopard (Panthera pardus)

After waiting for a couple of minutes, the Leopard couple gave us a big surprise; the female stood up and bravely approached the male, inviting it for courtship. During mating, it was interesting to watch the male grab the female by the nape of its neck. The roaring sounds of the Leopards were simply incredible to hear. Until that time, I had only read about such things in books and seen it in a wildlife documentary. However, this time I was delighted to witness it live.

Leopard (Panthera pardus)

Within a span of 15-20 minutes, the mating occurred four times. This was another remarkable spectacle. Surprisingly, each time, I found the female taking the initiative to begin the courtship.

What was most amazing about the incident was that the mating took place on a tree with the Leopards balancing themselves on it! Many people lost track of time, intently watching this rare spectacle.

We earnestly hope that the courtship results in a new generation of Leopards at Kabini!

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 24th, 2010 at 1:48 pm and is filed under Predators. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.