[Leica] Black Leopard Experience

[Lluis Ripoll]

Hi Jayanand,

I’m really impressed, great shots of  this wonderful big cat! Portrait and Eye contact are my favorites, a shot at 2 or 3 meters away ….! I can’t imagine, I suppose your vehicle was well protected!  a good adrenaline rush!

Cheers
Lluis


> El 5 ag 2024, a les 17:13, Jayanand Govindaraj via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> va escriure:
> 
> I returned a few days ago from Laikipia in Kenya, off the beaten track,
> and gaining currency in wildlife circles as a place to go for unique
> encounters with a wild, 3 year old black leopard called Giza.
> 
> Laikipia is in the North Central part of Kenya, and is a place to go for
> leopards, (one) black leopard and wild dog sightings - and as it is located
> in a private conservancy, you can be out till 9pm. Thanks to this, night
> sightings of leopards are plentiful. Giza, too, did not disappoint, she
> showed herself in more than 50% of the drives we did, and she had no fear
> of vehicles, making the sightings really satisfying. The service at the
> River Camp where we stayed was excellent, and the staff did whatever they
> could to keep us comfortable. That is the good news.The bad news is that
> accommodation is rustic/basic and the food was of indifferent quality. A
> landowner suddenly found that a black leopard cub was visible on his lands,
> and hastily built a few structures and started charging exorbitant amounts
> (over US$1000 a day per person) for the experience - which is tailored more
> towards the general tourist rather than photographers, but it is early days
> yet, and they will surely learn to cater to photographers in the days to
> come.
> 
> The experience is most certainly unique and out of this world, and probably
> is the only one of its kind available, that I know of, for close encounters
> with black leopards, but comes at a high cost, especially given the basic
> quality of the boarding and lodging. The demand is certainly there, though,
> as they are booked solid till July 2025!
> 
> On reflection, I am indeed glad that I did go there.
> 
> A dozen photographic studies of Giza are available here:
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Laikipia/
> 
> Please see LARGE
> 
> Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome.
> 
> Cheers
> Jayanand
> 
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