10 - 11 January 2014

 Thankfully, our Mother’s wrath was at an end by late afternoon yesterday. Ponchos were rendered superfluous, wantonly discarded by our intrepid adventurers with delightful disdain as we set forth into the great heart of Africa.

  After a somewhat uneventful morning, we were eager to make amends and to rebut the rain with fire in our eyes and passion in our hearts. Make no mistake, we needn’t travel far.
  All but the freshest spoor was obliterated by the morning downpour, so when we encountered leopard tracks on Gowrie Main, we knew they were of the freshest kind.

  Not moments after informing our comrades on the radio that we had discovered said tracks, a distant shadow caught our eye. One, not quite meeting the prerequisite of the common guarri bush and with the faintest promise of a feline form, we stopped to better assess the aforementioned.
With the assistance of binoculars our hopes were soon replaced with elation. For there, on the distant horizon, was a leopard walking over the rise.

  Eager trepidation replaced our amicable amble as we splashed through flowing riverbeds after our quarry.
Upon approach our excitement grew for not one, but two leopards strode before us. So please, try imagining our elation as two rosette felines, became three!
Yes, not one, nor two, but three majestic cats sauntered down the road. Oblivious to our presence they marched forth with absolute surety and sole proprietorship of all they beheld allowing no-one past (not that anyone wanted to).

  As it were, we were bearing witness to the progeny of Safari and Mafufunjane. Two leopards dear to me and a female I had the great pleasure of sharing her first 18 months of life with, Karula and her offspring.
  Both cubs seem to be approximately 16-20 months hold though I stand to be corrected. They are of an equal size to her. Thus, to the layman, one would think we were observing three adults together,making a proverbial ‘leap’ of leopards.

  We followed the trio as they walked along the road until our time had come to part ways. What a lovely sighting and one never to be forgotten.

  As much as I would love to extrapolate on the remainder of the drive and the following morning, necessity removes me for this afternoon’s adventure and thus in summary of last night and this morning: Salaexe (female leopard), an active hyaena den with frolicking cubs, a breeding herd of elephants, Xivambelane (young male leopard) just east of the camp and eventually walking into the KNP and lastly, Bahuti (young male leopard and progeny of Thandi) behind Chitwa dam wall, relaxing next to a pan as he observed his surroundings with an air of grace.