Private Guide Richard Avilino marvels at the survival instinct of leopards…
The world-famous Okavango Delta is one of the most rewarding areas for wildlife diversity, particularly leopard. Here I have experienced many female leopards raising their cubs to adulthood, not an easy task for a solitary species, with all the competition they face from other large predators such as lions and hyaenas, not to mention baboons, their mortal enemy.
These Tubu cubs were born to an experienced mother who knows how to protect her cubs from danger. The mother has several spots where she will hide them while she is out hunting; the cubs will remain calm and in the vicinity where the mum has left them until she returns with a meal.
They will be concealed up in the natural hollow of a tree, or under a fallen log. On all the many trips that I have led through this area it is always amazing to see how the cubs are kept so secure.
These Tubu cubs have grown well and are starting to follow their mum on hunting expeditions. She specialises in bringing down warthogs and small to medium-sized antelope, and I am endlessly fascinated by her ability to read the behaviour of potentially dangerous animals.
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