Leopard

Description: Leopards are the smallest of the big cats with a long body and small legs giving them a low centre of gravity. Their coat is a dull golden colour with black rosettes making it different from that of the cheetah that has solid spots. These rosettes help the leopard blend in, making it very difficult to see them in the wild. Their low centre of gravity allows them to climb very well. Along with their powerful jaws this allows them to haul their prey into a tree out of reach of lions, hyenas and in Asia, tigers. The leopard is one of the more elusive cats making it a privilege to see one whilst on safari. Leopards are opportunistic hunters taking anything from mice to medium sized antelope, even small zebra. They are predominantly nocturnal hunters getting to within a couple of metres of their prey before they pounce. There are several subspecies of leopards found throughout Asia and Africa.


Distribution: Leopards are wide spread throughout Asia and Africa from South Africa to Korea. They are able to live in all types of habitats from the deserts of Namibia to the rainforests of Central Africa.

Level of Protection: Although a lot of the leopard’s habitat is being destroyed and their numbers are on the decline they remain the “Least Concern” species because their numbers are greater than that of the other large cats.

Best time to visit: In India the best time to see the leopard is November to June and in Africa it depends on where you are going on safari.

Safaris available: Safaris to Zambia’s South Luangwa Valley, the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Etosha Pan National Park in Namibia, Masai Mara in Kenya, the Serengeti in Tanzania and Sabi Sands in South Africa are just a few of the places where you have the chance of seeing this elusive cat.