Another FRUSTRATION threshold. Probably the most frustrating moment so far during this production was this evening. Soon after dark we picked up a male leopard intently following the trail of something. The Mala Mala rangers arrived and we had to move on. (One of the priorities at Mala Mala is that their guests get top priority at all sightings and only once they have left can we move in. They don’t want the guests experience to be diluted by our presence. It was the same on “Beauty and the Beasts” and we still got an amazing production together.)
Shortly afterwards we found Tjololo hunting. It was while following him that we followed the amazing event on the radio. The other male leopard had disappeared into a warthog burrow. Nobody could see anything but the screaming warthog inside told the story. The struggle went on in the burrow for some 10 minutes before the leopard came out the hole and strangled the warthog outside. Having killed the mother the leopard went back into the burrow and killed the youngster too. Our only witness to the event was coming to us by radio waves. Damn!!!!!!!
Tjololo was more focussed tonight as he set about on a more serious hunting mission. His movements didn’t have much direction initially but he later tended south. He came across the trail of where we had found the other male. Sniffed around for some time as we got anxious for a good punch up, but then left the area heading south. He had several hunting attempts on impala, duiker and steenbok without success. Then he closed in on an adult female kudu and next he sprang landing on her back. She bucked and kicked at the same time sending Tjololo flying but unharmed. An amazing sight but unfortunately not able to capture it on film.
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