We knew it was possible to see leopard at South Luangwa, but we didn’t know we would see them on 3 of our 4 drives through the park!

The first time, the mother and two cubs were hiding in a bush. The cubs peeked out at us. We didn’t realize the second one was there until later when we looked at the photos! This photo was taken by Sean, who was with us on the safari. Thanks for the photo, Sean!

The next day our “spotter” heard some antelope making a warning cry and shortly afterward we saw the mother leopard nearby.

Leopard And Impala

The mother leopard didn’t have much of a chance during daylight after the impala had seen her.

That night, our spotter found the mother and two cubs again, this time shortly after she had killed a baboon. Leopards like to drag their prey up into a tree where other predators cannot reach it. The baboon had to have weighed as much as the leopard if not more, so it took her two attempts to climb the tree. This video shows her successful attempt.

After nibbling on it for a while, one of the cubs decided to try carrying it, and ended up dislodging it from the tree. The mother climbed down again and considered dragging it back up but eventually decided she’d done enough for one night.