National Geographic: Eye of the Leopard Page #5

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reaching out to her,

most likely, imprinting on

his new surrogate mother.

Most likely imprinting on

his new surrogate mother.

And legadema seemed to

His new surrogate mother.

And legadema seemed to

be caught up in her own

And legadema seemed to

be caught up in her own

internal conflict.

Be caught up in her own

internal conflict.

A young leopard at a

Internal conflict.

A young leopard at a

confusing crossroads of life,

A young leopard at a

confusing crossroads of life,

torn between being a predator

Confusing crossroads of life,

torn between being a predator

and an inquisitive cub.

Perhaps, something more...

maternal and compassionate

started to grow within her

at that moment.

Finally, both settled down to sleep,

exhausted by the event,

cuddling for hours against the winter chill.

It was the cold that finally made

the baby baboon go quiet.

And legadema left the

body to feed on the mother.

But, for a moment, the night had

been filled with strangeness.

Africa is so good at

divulging little secrets,

just when we think that

we know it all so well.

There are many myths and legends

dancing around these ancient forests,

where the owls call your name and

the distant hippos speak to the gods.

Another layer of mystery was added,

the night the leopard

lay down with the baboon.

When her mother came back

from her own hunt,

Legadema had quite a surprise

waiting for her.

She could smell blood, and knew

that the baboons had been through.

Greetings between them then were always an

explosion of playful rough and tumble,

but this time, when her mother darted up

the tree to the source of the blood,

Legadema's reaction was a shock to her.

It was a vicious attack.

Her mother's surprising retreat was

perhaps a recognition of that turning point

and Legadema's right

to defend her own kill.

If it had all ended there,

perhaps it would have been alright.

But they were back.

Combing the forest for their

lost companion and her new baby.

Despite her success,

Legadema knew she'd have to give ground.

The nightmarish attacks by baboons

were still imprinted on her memory.

She had the confidence to defend

herself against her mother,

but not against the baboons.

She abandoned her kill.

Flipping back from the aggressive adult

behavior to the submissive cub signals,

was Legadema's only defense against

being cast away and left behind.

She could smell the impala on her mother

and knew that there was a

stash of fresh food ahead.

A mother's bond to her cub

is often elastic,

especially at this time, when she is tied

to the survival of her offspring,

but starting to feel the tug of

becoming a solitary cat again.

Although it had been Legadema herself

who had signaled this new era of their lives,

she seemed reluctant to leave

her mother's protection.

All that it now needed

was one final push.

The smell of blood again.

Leopards have a powerful ability to pinpoint the

source of a smell as delightful to them as fresh blood,

or meat, for this starting to turn.

Slipping back into her role

as cub to be provided for,

she didn't wait to be invited this time.

She didn't know that

the rules had changed.

That she had changed the rules.

The usual suspects were not far off,

driven to excitement

by the dripping blood,

just a leap away from

stealing an advantage.

Hyenas snapped at them,

and Legadema's decision to move

the kill seemed like a good one.

But it was nearly double her weight.

Uncooperative limbs snagging everywhere.

Claws clutched

desperately, frantically!

It was a mistake.

In leopard terms, maybe one

of the worst you can make,

when frustrated hyenas are just waiting for

that familiar thud of wet meat on the ground.

Even a pride of lions will think twice about mounting

a counter attack against frenzied hyenas,

but Legadema wasn't ready

to accept the defeat.

Perhaps she realized that it was her fault.

The low growls from her mother behind her,

may have spurred her on even more.

The lone hunter needs to cut its losses

sometimes, and stay fit for the next hunt.

Legadema hadn't quite grasped that yet.

Her mother, as always,

understood perfectly.

It was over.

But her stiff legged walk

showed her anger.

Her hisses rose to a constant growl,

like a growing storm.

Her exposed fangs were a clear signal

that this leopard had been pushed too far.

Now, her display focused on

the root of the problem,

her own confused cub,

Legadema.

She spat her fury at her daughter,

as if she was a lifelong enemy

and hated rival.

No longer a slayer of baboons,

or heroic defender against hyenas,

Legadema regressed to submissive displays,

in a desperate attempt to stop

the frenzied wrath of her mother.

It was an intense moment,

so defining a shift that,

from than on,

Legadema would no longer be

her mother's cub.

It was over.

They both knew it.

And that is how her childhood ended,

and that is how it is today.

As if sensing her vulnerability,

there is already an intruder.

She's been aware of him for months:

a slight pungent scent against a palm tree,

the easily followed trail

from scent glands in his paws,

the odd unaccounted four warthog kill,

left half finished in the fork of a tree.

Leopards have a way of molding into

the curves of a tree in total comfort.

This young male oozes confidence.

She's known he would be

coming closer sometime.

And now, he has caught up at last.

But his approach is not aggressive.

In fact, he takes his time to

limber up casually in her territory.

It is a display intended for her,

to convey his total confidence.

It's a mistake, of course.

His flaunting moves only attract the attention of

the local baboon troop and their meat-eating leader.

These baboons have had years

of practice harassing leopards.

This time the alpha male doesn't quite

get the reaction he is used to.

His acrobatic threats start

to attract the whole troop now.

The battle cry goes out:

"Leopard!"

Legadema has heard these blood chilling calls

before, but always on the receiving end.

She has never seen a leopard

react with such... disdain,

with so little fear of her old enemies.

And thanks to the years of intimidating

Legadema and her timid mother,

their confidence is still running high...

for now.

Even females and young try their hand

at flushing the leopard.

But they are met with an unflinching stare from

behind ready teeth and a balled up energy,

ready to strike.

This confidence rattles them.

Instead of driving home their attack,

they stop short.

Any leopard they know, would expect

to be mobbed and ripped to pieces.

But they can sense that

this one is a stranger here,

there is something unknown

and different about his...

...not too veiled threats.

As the baboons make a discrete withdrawal,

she makes a less discrete approach.

It's time to find out about

this large dark skinned male.

Her soft sneezing and coughing

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