Black Leopard Safari - Day 5

It was my final full day in Laikipia. This stay has been incredible and I already know I would love to return, but first I still had three game drives to look forward to. About half an hour into the morning, we quite literally bumped into two large male lions right on the road. Every night since I arrived I had heard lions calling in the distance, but until now I had not actually seen any. It is always a thrill to come across lions, and these two were particularly striking males.

The beautiful landscape surrounding Laikipia Wilderness Camp

They were nomadic, without a pride of their own, but judging by their condition it would not surprise me if they soon take over one. They looked very much in their prime, most likely brothers. We followed them for a while, though I have to admit Laikipia is not my favorite place for photographing lions. The bush is simply too thick. Personally, I much prefer photographing them in more open landscapes, such as Masai Mara or the Serengeti, where their presence can be seen against the horizon. Please contact me if you want to join me on a lion safari.

The rest of the morning was fairly quiet with no more cats. Instead we tried to track down a small pack of African wild dogs that roam the area. The pack has six dogs, three of them fitted with radio collars. According to the camp manager they were moving in our direction, so we set out to find them with the tracking system. It is far from easy. The dogs can cover ground with incredible speed, and just as soon as we managed to get a signal and head their way, it disappeared again. We repeated this several times and although they were clearly in the area, we never managed to locate them. By midday we gave up and returned to camp for lunch. In the evening, the plan was to see Giza again, with one last attempt for the dogs the following morning before departure.

After lunch came the usual short drive before focusing on the black leopard called Giza. As we set off the rain began to fall. We decided to press on but quickly realised it would turn into a heavy downpour, so we turned back and waited it out at camp. Half an hour later it eased off and we were out again. Around 6:40 pm we came across a normal spotted leopard, but with the time so close to Giza’s usual appearance we left it quickly and drove straight into her territory. It did not take long. She emerged from the darkness like a black ghost, just as the rain started again.

Giza, the black leopard with her prey.

She was in full hunting mode, moving quickly through the bush. It was difficult to keep up with her, but the local drivers are truly impressive in how they manage not to lose her even in the dark. Within minutes she had made her first kill. To our surprise, she left it under a bush and continued. Soon she had taken a second and left that one too. Then she went for a third. It became clear that she was taking advantage of the rain, which seemed to help her in some way. We decided to wait by her first kill in the hope that she would return to it.

Sadly, this turned out to be my last sighting of Giza on this trip. As the rain fell harder, we made our way back to camp, wet but deeply grateful for the experience.