Bundu the young male leopard has made a real show of himself in the Klaserie and has soared into position of crowd favourite after his latest antics saw him chasing birds in in a marula tree. Over the last couple of days, this entertaining and confident leopard has offered up some unforgettable game drive sightings at Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp, and yesterday evening our latest encounter involved the strikingly handsome cat prowling through the foliage in perfect golden light. These are what safari memories are made of – what a privilege!
On the weekend, Bundu – who is Ross Dam’s male cub of +-18 months – was seen on a kill with his sister, Saffron. She is a much more timid cat and has kept to the shadows while her brother has never shied away from the public eye. They have always stayed in close proximity to one another and their mother, which is the norm for leopard cubs for the first 2 years of their lives. It is quite astonishing to think that our individual sightings of Saffron can be counted on our fingers, while our sightings of brother, Bundu, have far exceeded our conscious counting!
This past weekend was a real treat, as both leopards were seen on an impala kill, followed by a sighting of Bundu by himself. The relaxed, young male was spotted reclining very comfortably in the natural cradle of a termite mound. Old termite mounds prove to be very useful in the bush, doubling as warthog and aardvark burrows, wild dog dens, snake holes, cheetah outlook posts, and leopard resting spots. It was an absolute treat to watch Bundu emerge from the surrounding thicket, stretch, and flop down into a comfortable curve of the termite mound where he lay and yawned widely, showing us his impressive teeth.
Once again, yesterday afternoon’s game drive produced with another astonishing sighting of Bundu. This young tom was spotted near his location of the previous day – clearly not having had enough of the spotlight! As usual, he was unfazed by us and went about his business with a vehicle-full of amazed and excited Klaserie guests.
The golden light painted Bundu in the most beautiful warmth, and he walked, slinkily, right passed the vehicle, offering up some spectacular photographic opportunities. Just when we thought we couldn’t be any more spoilt, Bundu put on one memorable performance of his (now famous) bird chasing! What a way to end off the afternoon with a remarkable, wild leopard before heading off to sundowners in the bush and embarking on the nocturnal part of the game drive.
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