[Leica] Black Leopard Experience

[Douglas Barry]

That is one mean and magnificent looking pussy, Jayanand. My favourite 
in this collection is probably Eye Contact as you can see the markings 
very well.
Mind you, going on your comment later to Lluis that the beast was right 
beside your open sided vehicle, I consider you've nominated yourself in 
the year's LUG bravery awards. Seeing as my own two black cats are like 
lightning when they are within leaping distance of a mouse, I don't 
think it's a position of proximity, I'd want to find myself in.

Douglas


On 05/08/2024 16:13, Jayanand Govindaraj via LUG wrote:
>   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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