Leopard | Panthera pardus | तेंदुआ in Gir National Park
A great wildlife encounter in Gir National Park, Gujarat, India.
It was the first of our three safari runs into the park and the sun was just starting to set. We reached a straight section of road and were starting to pick up speed when Gajendra Singh, the co-guide on our tour, said "leopard" and indicated to the jeep driver to stop. The park-assigned driver and guide were locked in deep conversation, oblivious to the surroundings, and continued forward. We started yelling Leopard! Stop! and the park people hit the brakes.
The Leopard was walking away from the road and I got the camera on it - AI Servo, Single Spot AF Point placed on its eyes, maximum frames per second - and just let go. For once the settings weren't bad, and things worked out pretty well. Talking to Gajendra afterwards he explained that he had picked up on the alarm call of a Grey Langur, went into high alert, and immediately located the Leopard. The big cat had been stalking one of the monkeys, but its presence had been detected and it was moving away back into the forest. We thought the moment was over.
Leopard | Panthera pardus | तेंदुआ in Gir National Park
A great wildlife encounter in Gir National Park, Gujarat, India.
It was the first of our three safari runs into the park and the sun was just starting to set. We reached a straight section of road and were starting to pick up speed when Gajendra Singh, the co-guide on our tour, said "leopard" and indicated to the jeep driver to stop. The park-assigned driver and guide were locked in deep conversation, oblivious to the surroundings, and continued forward. We started yelling Leopard! Stop! and the park people hit the brakes.
The Leopard was walking away from the road and I got the camera on it - AI Servo, Single Spot AF Point placed on its eyes, maximum frames per second - and just let go. For once the settings weren't bad, and things worked out pretty well. Talking to Gajendra afterwards he explained that he had picked up on the alarm call of a Grey Langur, went into high alert, and immediately located the Leopard. The big cat had been stalking one of the monkeys, but its presence had been detected and it was moving away back into the forest. We thought the moment was over.