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Another chance visit which led to a drive. Leyland Leopard Plaxton Supreme IV MGC 337V had recently celebrated its twentieth birthday when seen at Bookham Coaches' depot on 14th June, 2000. The coach had been new to Epsom Coaches; the depot is now home to Reptons.
@ Olmense Zoo
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, and China. Because of its declining range and population, it is listed as a "Near Threatened" species by the IUCN.
Compared to other members of the Felidae family, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, but is smaller and more slightly built. Its fur is marked with rosettes similar to those of the jaguar, but the leopard's rosettes are smaller and more densely packed, and do not usually have central spots as the jaguars do. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic (completely black or very dark) are known as black panthers.
The species' success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth. The leopard consumes virtually any animal that it can hunt down and catch. Its habitat ranges from rainforest to desert
The Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) is endangered throughout its distribution area in the Middle East. In this article, we briefly describe its global range and then emphasize the status, distribution, and threats in Armenia. The principal factors jeopardizing the long-term survival of the Persian leopard in Armenia are disturbance, poaching, and wildfire. Currently, work is underway to identify and describe the coarse-scale range, fine-scale range, and the Priority Leopard Conservation Areas (PLECAs) in the country. Because the leopard distribution is spatially exclusive of inhabited human settlements, the fine-scale range is defined as the coarse-scale one without villages and towns. The statistical information on both ranges is presented. Its comparative analysis has shown that the fine-scale range contains, with statistical significance, a smaller area of the mountain meadows and much shorter lengths of the main asphalted roads than its coarse-scale counterpart. The PLECAs are areas of permanent presence of the predator, which therefore must be granted the highest priority for conservation. The first candidates for the status of PLECAs in Armenia are identified.
Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia)
The snow leopard is classified as a member of the order Carnivora (Carnivores) and is a member of the family Felidae. It is classified as an endangered species due to an estimated population of no more than 2500 snow leopards and the fact that it has no subpopulation numbering more than 250 mature leopards. Snow leopards can be found in eastern Asia
Leopardess resting in the early evening. This is the animal that Jason and Jerry spent a long time tracking down. Jerry eventually found her just about 100m from the lodge, on top of a small bank. Jason's off-road driving skills were put to the test to get the jeep up and over the bank to get us in a good position. Note the flies around her head - she was constantly flicking her ears.
After our guide spotted some fresh tracks in the sand we did a huge search and just as we were giving up he spotted this leopard through a gap in the trees. It was sitting 4-5 m from the track but could only be seen from exactly the right angle through the leaves, we'd already driven past twice! Anyway this guy (or girls) wasn't yet fully grown and was just chilling and trying to keep cool. This sighting was one of the highlight of the trip and a much nicer way to experience a leopard than the one we heard make a kill just near our campsite the night before...
Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Another first for me on July 13 - mating leopards. Seeing them together really showed how big the male was. They had been going at it for a while (days), with each encounter lasting only seconds (just like the lions). She initiates each time by brushing against him as she is doing here
African Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus)
Sighted at -24.8001,31.4049 (S 24° 48' 0.2" E 31° 24' 17.5").
13 July 2011 07:28am
Savanna Lodge, Sabi Sand Reserve, Kruger National Park.
-24.8601,31.4012 (Lat S 24° 51' 36.4" Long E 31° 24' 4.4")
Kruger-SabiSand-SavannaLodge_2011Jul13_0990_D3S_5990; Nikkor 400/2.8 VR
Last picture of the series: again a portrait of the young male leopard. The white background is in fact the gray sky.
Snow Leopard.
Toronto Zoo.
These are amazing animals, and one of the highlights of our visit.
P4152734_Edited-1
Next portrait of the young leopard, I really got some nice pictures of him! :)
Taken at the Toni's zoo.
Sorry for being away so long.... It was planting time on the farm!!! Long hours, long days...
As soon as we finished we jumped at the opportunity to visit Kruger, obviously our favourite holiday destination!!!
Back from another fantastic trip to Kruger Park! What a place!! It was very hot, very rainy… But does'nt matter, it was Kruger!!!!
Every time I try to spot the magical leopard, but this was the best I could manage...!!!
What a great experience it was though!!! (Always is!!!) (Just 2km out of Skukuza..!!)