The Flat Rock male has been rather scarce of late.
We suspect that he was partly stranded north of the Sand River which until a few days ago would have been difficult for him to cross, given the high water levels.
During this time we even began to see the likes of the Senegal Bush male and the Maxim’s male advancing into what we largely consider to be the Flat Rock male’s territory. However, towards the end of this last week he was eventually found again, south of the river. After a tension-filled encounter with the Senegal Bush male quite close to camp, we knew that he was back and defending the southern portion of his territory once again.
Ranger Jess Shillaw’s guests get a front row seat of the Flat Rock male.
During the course of the a recent rainy morning, our habitat team stumbled upon this large male leopard as he was marching down the road. With a break in the rain that afternoon, a group of us decided to head out and see if we could find him again.
Luckily, by the time we left camp, he had already been found by Jess Shillaw who was out with her guests. As we arrived at the sighting, we found him to be lying down on a termite mound close to Jess’ Land Rover. A few moments passed and he slowly stood up, walked down the mound and began scent marking on every second Guarrie bush that he passed.
As he began to yawn, we knew he would be getting on the move soon.
The Flat Rock male is renowned for providing us with exceptional viewing. His relaxed temperament and calm nature around the vehicles allows us to follow him with ease and watch him go about his activities as if we weren’t even there.
This afternoon was no different and all of us sat in silence as he strolled past, barely a meter away from the vehicle, the soft crunch of his paws hitting the damp, sandy ground alongside us.
His movements were fairly predictable as he stuck to the nearby two-track road. It’s much more comfortable and easier to walk here rather than through the thick, long grass that covers the land at the moment.
A few minutes later, a young impala lamb skipped across the road just in front of the him. Immediately his body language changed as he now saw an opportunity for a meal. The impala, which hadn’t seemed to have noticed the leopard yet, seemed to be alone and slightly injured; an ideal target for the Flat Rock male, who had now dropped low to the ground to and was using the long grass to his advantage. As he gradually stalked closer, the impala, possibly alerted by scent, sprung its head up and began scanning the surroundings. We sat there for nearly fifteen minutes waiting for the stalemate to break. Eventually the impala began to relax again, dropping its head back down to the ground. The Flat Rock male started to capitalise on this and edged closer in short, sharp bursts through the grass while still keeping his body low to the ground.
The Flat Rock male sees an impala (whose head can just be seen above the grass in the centre-left of the photo) and begins to make a move towards it. His sudden urgency and quick decision making was incredible to see.
Using the long grass to his advantage he edged closer and closer towards the impala. The long grass may at first seem like a blessing for ambush predators like leopard but I do also believe that when it is too thick and long it can in fact become a disadvantage as it reduces their own ability to keep an eye on the prey during the course of a stalk.
With the leopard now just a few feet away from the impala, we all held our collective breaths in anticipation of him launching himself towards his prey. Just as we thought the time was right, the impala threw its head up again and a second later bolted off. The leopard gave chase for a few meters but the impala’s millisecond head-start gave it the break it needed to escape certain death.
A visibly disappointed Flat Rock male now stood watching the impala scamper up the adjacent crest. He took a moment to gather his thoughts and strolled back up onto a termite mound where he lay down again. The hunting success rate of leopard – and most predators at that – is not very high and it’s moments like these in which you see firstly how opportunistic they have to be and secondly what hard work, patience and luck is required for a successful hunt.
Yet another wonderful afternoon spent with one of the dominant leopards in the region.
The flat rock male is so majestic, gracious, relaxed and powerful. He stays my favourite leopard. It is a pity he could not capitalize on the impala, Jess and her guests would have had front row sests to the kill. The bush is looking beautiful after all the rain. Lovely foto’s Chris.
Superb pictures capturing the hunt.
Gorgeous images Chris – so happy to see him patrolling his domaine once again!
What a treat to be so close and watch this interaction! Great images as well.
Wow! You can say you had a stroll with a magnificent male leopard! It looks as if he sat with you
My favorite cat at Londolozi! A terrific father and gorgeous cat!
What a stupendous afternoon you, Jess and guests had! 👌🏻🙏🏻Fabulous closeup shots Chris and I bet you are all super happy to have the Flat Rock male back in his ‘district’. Looking forward to hearing more of his antics 💕
I am SO jealous of Jess’ guests! – as I type this, I would be there right now, partway through an afternoon game drive. The closest I can get is a large gin, and pretend I’m having a sunset drinks stop.
Chris, I also leopard🤗
Wonderful photos of this magnificent male. I recall seeing him the first time, when he was new to the property, walking through tall grass dotted with tiny yellow and purple wildflowers, looking fierce and determined. A memorable siting!
Great photos and a great story about this beautiful animal.
What a fantastic opportunity to be so close to this amazing leopard. The take down of the Impala lamb could have been the moment many hope for on a drive, but as we know, success is not easy in the bush. The photos are great and really illustrate the greenness of the reserve.
Clearly recall the sound of the padded paw against the ground as he passed so close to the vehicle.
Beautiful, powerful leopard!
This is such an beautiful leopard “although all leopard’s are beautiful” but there is just something in him. The bush is so green, wow! Does the green bush with long grass attract more animals? 🤷🏼♂️
Great blog Field Guide Chris.
Hey Chris, Is it the Flat Rock Male that pushed into and possibly has taken over Hukumuri’s territory now?
So special and my absolute favourite male leopard – those amber eyes and purposeful movement as he walks along… just great. Thank you Chris.
I can think of worse ways to spend an afternoon. Super photos
Beautiful pictures! We so enjoyed our time spent with you guys….the expert guides, Chris and Euce…made everything so much more alive…we learned and saw things that were once in a lifetime! The sighting and chase of the wild dogs was incredible! Hope to return someday…but, for now, these pictures will fill our souls! Best to everyone!
Terrific post and photos of the Flat Rock male! I love your account of the leopard’s interaction with the impala, and the accompanying images. While good for the impala, it would have been an incredible experience for the Jess and the guests!
What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!