Scanning, looking, searching....

Reading behavior, interpreting signs...

When you are searching for something very rare, the chance of success is very low. For 4 consecutive years I have had my eyes open, looking for that one rare sighting.

We had departed from Bush Lodge on our morning game drive searching for a leopard – that one rare sighting! It’s the right time of year! I have been on the lookout for quite some days now but still no luck.

Towards the end of our game drive we found our leopard! We needed to work hard to stay with her as she walked through the bush in search of a meal, covering a lot of ground in the process.

We noticed 3 impalas that had not yet seen her, and it seemed as if the leopard had also not noticed them. We anticipated a good stalk and then.... maybe the kill....

Forgotten is my search for that one rare sighting. We are pushing our luck, as we actually need to head back to camp as my guests are checking out! But we push it a bit more as we might just see a hunt! For some reason she walks straight into them. She is spotted (ja, I mean spotted by the impala’s), they sound the alarm and run off. So much for a secretive leopard and we know her chances are slim now. The whole area knows that there is danger in the area so we decide to head for camp.

Five minutes from camp, one of my guests tells me to stop as he has just seen what I have been looking for, for such a long time! No way, that must be a joke, but it isn’t! I put my Land Rover into reverse, and there it is!

Only a small part of the animal was visible and we tried to really push it now by delaying our return to Bush Lodge for another 30 minutes. So we slowly inched closer to not disturb the animal and have it walk off! We can all see now. This is the start of life as we anticipated seeing the end a few minutes ago.

The front hooves were sticking out as we watched the wonder of new life being born. The female impala had separated herself from the herd for labor. It’s easier for her to stay unnoticed when she is alone but it makes her nervous too. She is not used to being alone and she keeps checking the area for any sign of danger. We are regarded as danger too and we need to keep our distance so not to disturb her.

Slowly the head started to appear. Slowly as it takes quite some time indeed. There is one more ranger out on drive and we notified him to come and share the sighting. It is getting late and there is no way we could delay our return any longer. I took my guests back to camp and headed straight out again.

Ten minutes later I am back at the sighting. The female had given birth, but I did not miss. Now that she had given birth, she will not leave and is more relaxed so we can approach for a closer look. I jumped into my colleagues vehicle to exert as little pressure on the impala as possible.

She is just eating the afterbirth while her young is lying in the grass, covered in the birth sac. The young is lying still and we wonder if it is alive. After a good look we see that one front leg is lying over the neck and head but it is breathing!

The mother starts to eat the birth sac and lick her young dry. This to prevent unnecessary smells which might attract predators. In the coming time the young will start recognizing its mother mainly by scent and sound as the mother imprints her young’s voice and smell.

Just a few minutes after the young is born it tries to stand up. It shakes its head as if it doesn’t really believe what it is seeing. The first attempts are clumsy and is not bringing the right side up. But a little while later we witness its first little wobbly steps. It’s not easy to control those long, thin and wobbly legs! The mother is still cleaning it as if she is supporting its efforts and encouraging it to go on.

The young is now carefully walking around, lifting its legs high up as if it is walking through invisible water. The hind legs do not co-operate fully and make the rear drift from left to right. Only a few minutes and also that problem is overcome. It now jumps around its mother as the mother is calling it. The recognition of her voice is going to be very important when returning to the herd where the young will gather in little nursery herds.

But for now mother and young are spending some quality time alone. After about 15 minutes the mother decides that it is time to go now and they both walk off...

This has been the sighting I have been waiting for, for such a long time! Something so rare and unique to witness. A real privilege to be a part of this event, as we more often witness the end of an animal’s life.

What will be waiting for the young? Will it survive these first few vulnerable weeks? Will a leopard get hold of it?

We can only hope and wonder as it walks off into the bush, into the unknown.