Black leopard safari - Day 1

We arrived in Laikipia in the early afternoon with one clear purpose, to search for Giza, the black leopard. Many call cats like her black panthers, but that is not quite correct. The right term is melanistic leopard. Melanism is a genetic variation that gives her coat its dark colour, though the rosettes remain visible when the light falls just right.

Read more about melanistic leopards here

Kinyo with his prey up in a tree-

Her full name is Giza Mrembo, which means 'Beautiful Darkness' in Swahili.

That first afternoon we set out on a game drive. Because Giza is more active after nightfall, we spent the hours before sunset looking for normal, spotted leopards. Just before dusk the guides found a young male with a fresh kill, a dik-dik, one of the smallest antelopes. Within moments a hyena appeared and the leopard shot up a tree to eat in safety. The name given to this leopard is Kinyo.

We watched him until almost dark before turning our search back to Giza. Special spotlights are used by the local spotters to help us, and three cars worked together to cover her usual range. This time fortune did not favour us. By eight o’clock we rolled back into camp for dinner.

Tomorrow would be another chance.