2016
They say you can’t change a leopard’s spots… but unfortunate instances such as snare damage are a real risk to all animals. It is unsure whether this particular male leopard lost his paw to a snare, or was born with this condition, but what we do know is that he has shown some serious perseverance.
When posting images of this male (after our first 2020 sighting of him), past guests got in touch with photos and stories of him during their trips to Tafika. Our first documented sighting of him was in June 2016, when this above image was taken.
A very good looking leopard, and in very good condition for an animal with such damage to its limb.
Guests in 2017 had seen this same male – in good condition, but with a bad limp. They expressed concern over his condition and pleaded that some intervention was made to treat his condition. The nature of the Luangwa Valley is that interventions seldom occur when there is no clear evidence of human-inflicted damage, leaving nature to take its course in most cases.
2020
In 2019 we had a number of great sightings of him – including hearing him calling from a tree, and finding him high up in the branches after dark. We also saw him very close to Tafika camp on one occasion, with a fairly severe limp.
This first sighting of 2020 was not far from the tree that we found him in last year, testament to the fact that he is very ably manning his territory – and has been for the past few years.
Four years on, fresh battles scars added to his coat but he looks as good as ever. He has grown into a magnificent leopard, and we look forward to bringing you more news on him in years to come.
