Friday, March 31, 2006

In the company of leopards

On the topic of big cats - here are a couple of leopard pics from my last field shoot in Sri Lanka.

They are both stills from footage I'm using for a documentary to be released at the end of this year.

The first is a beautiful young male - being very cautious as he approaches a waterhole just before dusk. He is watching a herd of Spotted Deer on the far side of the open ground!



The next fellow is a HUGE adult male keeping watch on his hilltop lookout. He had just chased away a female and her two 1 year-old cubs - probably his own offspring. This guy is about 7.5ft from nose to tail tip, and his head is massive! One of the largest Sri Lankan Leopards I have ever seen (but perhaps that's not saying much because I've seen less than twenty in the wild in my entire lifetime... so every sighting is a thrill).



These big cats never cease to amaze me with their grace, stealth and uncanny ability to disappear just as the camera focusses in on them...

A film-maker's nightmare, but a joy to experience in the wild.

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