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V1M very kindly organised for me to go to the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Kent for a Photographers on Safari day. This meant access inside the normal outer barriers that visitors are normally restricted behind, and enabled me to get right up against the inner enclosure, with camera lens as close as could be to the main enclosure. As well as our photographic instructor - John Wright - on hand to advise on technique, we also one of the cats' keepers, Becky, to tempt the animals out of hiding and into more photogenic positions with some tasty bits of meat.
As some of you will know I am a bit of a fan of animals and big cats in particular so I was rather in my element! Not only did I get some rather lovely photos of some gorgeous animals, but just being at such close quarters with them for the whole day was wonderful in itself.
Leopard
2005
Photograph
Taken at Marwell Wildlife
April 29th, 2005
Shutter Speed: 1/400 second
Aperture: F/6.3
Focal Length: 300 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Shot through glass
Print Available:
A Male Leopard relaxing under a tree in the Serengetti. Of course then we arrived as did about 15 other vehicles. You can spend time in the Serengetti driving for hours not spotting another vehicle but word spreads fast when one of the big five are spotted.
Male leopard at the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center near Hoedspruit outside Kruger Park.
This is an extraordinary center with a very practical approach to rehabilitation of injured animals. Well worth the visit.
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Snow Leopards
Brookfield Zoo
October 20, 2013
It's been 4 weeks since I photographed Brookfield Zoo's Snow Leopard cub, Everest. He has grown quite a bit, and boy does he like to play! He keeps his mom, Sarani, very busy! It is so fun to watch them interact with one another.
Another part of the magical encounter. The leopard passed literally yards from me.
Photo taken in Chobe National Park, Botswana during a morning safari.
African Leopard » Panthera pardus » 'Luiperd'
Powerful, graceful and arguably one of the most beautiful of all the large cats, the elusive leopard is a master of stealth and survival. By far the strongest climber, it can haul prey twice its own body weight up into a tree where it can feast without disturbance from other predators. Male leopards usually measure 80 cm high at the shoulder and weigh between 20 – 90 kg. Females are considerably smaller, weighing between 17 – 60 kg.
Solitary, arboreal and nocturnal, they are difficult to spot but can sometimes be seen sunning themselves from their favorite viewpoint. Their nocturnal lifestyle is probably a reaction to human pressures and hunting. In National Parks, large game reserves and remote areas they can be seen moving about more readily during the day. They like to drape themselves over tree branches or rest in caves to escape the midday heat.
This one was on a tree branch waiting for nightfall.
Image details ISO 400, 300mm @ 5.6 (70-300 3.5-5.6), 1/250sec, Nikon D300 on a monopod in a open vehicle.