While exploring the North of the Kruger in 2019, early one morning we set off north from Shingwedzi towards Babalala with the intention of taking the S55 loop. As ‘luck’ would have it, we exited Shingwedzi using the East Gate, and took the road over the low-level causeway crossing the Shingwedzi River, joining up with the H1-7 a few kilometres later.
On arriving at the Lamont waterhole, we turned left onto the S55 and stopped to observe a small flock of doves squabbling about some meagre offerings in the numerous elephant dung balls lying about around the wind-pump and concrete reservoir. It was also an opportunity to enjoy a rusk or two, as is our early morning habit in the Kruger. As we moved on we realised we had missed (bypassed) the southern entrance to the S55 loop, and were in fact at its northern end. Not wanting to do the S55 loop in reverse, I steered right into a short river viewing loop with the intention of making a U-turn.
With the car stationary, I quickly scanned the river bed to my right. Not seeing anything of interest, I was about to return my concentration to the road when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a quick short movement and a sudden large puff of dust. Looking again, I saw two big pale cream coloured eyes fixed on mine from about 30 meters away.
It took me a second or two to register that I was being stared at by a beautiful leopard in the process of trying to secure its breakfast. The female leopard had a big impala ram’s snout in its mouth, while holding its head in a powerful headlock.
Despite the brief bedlam in the car as Silvia and I got our cameras ready to start shooting, the leopard did not allow us to distract her in any way. She just calmly carried on holding on and giving the impala a ‘kiss of death’ while the ram’s kicks became progressively feebler.
Once she was happy that the impala was not going to get up and run off, the leopard took a break and just looked at us regally and gauged her options. As we did not seem to be an imminent threat to her, she took a few minutes to rest before starting to drag the impala in the direction of some thick bush some 50 meters from the river bank.
Every 10 meters or so she would stop to rest and eyeball us for a minute or two, before continuing the process of getting her meal to safety from other predators and scavengers.
Once she had the impala stashed away, the leopard walked slowly back down to the dry riverbed and disappeared into the bush on the far bank.
On our way back to the main tarred road we saw that the doves were still squabbling over what the dung balls could offer them.