A Night Safari and a Leopard’s Claim
on Sep 23, 2025There’s a peculiar kind of magic that clings to the wild after sundown, a primal hush that settles across the open landscapes, broken only by the calls of nocturnal hunters and the rustle of unseen movements. It was on one such velvet-black night that I found myself once again, always looking for elusive night creatures, eyes adjusting to shadows, heart attuned to the pulse of the wild.
We had set out just after dusk, the safari vehicle gliding quietly through tall grasses. The usual diurnal bustle was replaced by an eerie calm. A hyena crossed our path, its eyes reflecting our infrared beam, curious, calculating. But nothing prepared us for what came next.
Our tracker, Mike - a man whose senses seemed wired into the wilderness, with 40 years of experience - raised his hand, and when that happens, I stop without question. He had spotted something near a dry riverbed, where moonlight barely filtered through the tangled canopy. We followed his gaze, and there it was.
A shadow slinked from the thickets. Muscles rippled under a coat of gold and black — a male leopard, young but powerfully built, emerged with the quiet arrogance of a king. He moved like smoke, every step deliberate, every movement calculated.
The remains of a young elephant lay collapsed beneath a fig tree; its massive form reduced to bones and sinew. Nature’s cycle had taken its course — scavengers had come and gone, but now, this clearing belonged to someone else. Then, we watched in awe the display of the ritual of power.
The leopard approached the elephant remains, not to feed, but to mark. Tail twitching, he paused beside the sculp of the head, raised his tail, and sprayed the carcass with a strong jet of urine, a bold territorial signal, unmistakable and unapologetic. At some point, hugging and digging his claws into the softer cracks of the big sculp.
He wasn't just claiming the kill. He was staking dominion over this patch of the wilderness. To other leopards, to hyenas, even to the lions that might pass through, the message was clear: “I was here. This is mine.”
There was something deeply symbolic in the moment. The elephant, once the giant of the plains, now served as a stage for the leopard’s silent declaration of power. Life and death, predator and prey, dominance and decay, all woven into a single scene.
The leopard lingered, rubbing his cheek along a nearby log and pacing slowly, his eyes scanning the shadows. Then, as if aware of our presence, he turned. Our lights caught his gaze, eyes glowing like molten gold. For a heartbeat, we locked eyes, time paused, but it was a great opportunity to click that special photo, and an amazing moment.
And just as silently as he had arrived, he melted back into the darkness. We sat in silence for a long moment. Not out of fear, but reverence.
On a night safari, the comfort of daylight falls away, and you’re drawn into the raw drama of the wild. In the darkness, the bush feels startlingly alive - not just surviving but thriving through rituals few ever see. Watching a leopard scent-mark elephant remains is more than a sighting; it’s a collision of death and dominance, a story written in scent and shadow. You won’t find it in a guidebook or a brochure. It’s something you carry with you, long after the night has closed in.
Blog by Ronald Mutero (Selati Camp Ranger)
