Vomba 3-2 Female Leopard Londolozi Game Reserve
We were barely out of camp on the morning of 14 August, when a distinctive white-tipped tail-belonging to an animal crossing the road about 100m ahead of us appeared in the half light. On closer inspection we saw it was the Vomba female leopard, whose territory completely surrounds camp.
Daughter of Sunset Bend, her rich golden coat and presence around camp defined an era of Londolozi's leopard dynasty through her offspring.
Vomba 3-2 Female Leopard Territory Londolozi Game Reserve
We began following her into a thicket and a short while later she spotted some impala. However the impala soon moved off into an area too open for her to get close enough for a stalk. Despite this, her attention was still focused in the drainage line just in front of her and we suspected a scrub hare or possibly common duiker was sheltering in there.
She stalked for about fifteen minutes, often motionless in mid stride for what seemed like an eternity. Her first attempt was a bit feeble though, and what turned out to be a scrub hare made an easy getaway. Unfortunately for the hare, the leopard doubled around without it noticing and before long the hare moved straight back into her path.
She sat for a while until a small movement from the hare alerted her to its whereabouts and she pounced. A short chase ensued but it was all over in seconds. Prey clasped firmly in her razor sharp teeth, she soon found a soft patch of grass, lit up by the rising sun, and settled in for a well earned early morning snack-a perfect start to the morning!
For more footage of Vomba hunting, take a look at: Vomba Female Hunts Massive African Rock Python.
Filmed by: Roderigo silveira (Londolozi Guest)
Written by: David Dampier
Great capture!! thanks for sharing!
Sheila
Great to see Vomba, thanks Roderigo for the footage, great picture David.
Thank you for the comments, I´ll be back very soon in Londonlozi, Vomba wait for me again…
Good to hear Rogrigo, you clearly have a knack for capturing amazing sightings on camera. Looking forward to your return and hopefully some more footage of the Vomba female in action. Thanks again.