Three hundred weeks. That’s roughly 2,100 days of showing up on a Sunday, whether the sun was shining, the rain was coming down in sheets, or the Wi-Fi was being particularly temperamental. When we started this whole ‘Virtual Safari’ idea, I don’t think any of us truly expected it to last this long, but here we are. It speaks to the commitment of the team here, the magic of this patch of land, and, most importantly, the fact that a whole community of online fans out there is just as invested in the lives of the animals as we are.
For a milestone like this, just rolling out of bed and heading out for an ‘ordinary’ drive felt a little anticlimactic. So, I’ve decided to put a slightly uncomfortable, slightly ridiculous task on my own shoulders: The Five Leopard Challenge. Yes, five. And no, I won’t be racing around the reserve to achieve it.
The objective is simple: find, or at least be deeply involved in the process of tracking and finding, five different leopards this week. It’s a way to force a deeper drive, to honour the unpredictable narrative that the bush always delivers, and to remind myself that the best sightings are almost always earned. That said, if one of the guys radios in with a sighting too good to ignore, I’m not going to sit back and sulk because I wasn’t part of the search. The ultimate goal, as always, is to share the story.
So, buckle up. We’re leaning into the tracking, the near misses, and the small victories that make this job what it is. Let’s see if we can hit this ridiculous target.
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Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation's dominant female.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
Forced into early independence at 11 months. Despite her small size, she's proven resilient, currently raising a cub in SE Londolozi.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
A confident and curious young leopard, that is nearing independence after a remarkable start to life alongside her resilient mother.
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on The 5 Leopard Challenge | Virtual Safari #300