Conservation & environment

A Gruesome Discovery

15 June 2015

The Granite outcrops between Lamai and the Mara River are riddled with massive fig trees, this is often the drive we take to and from kogatende airstrip and it can be full of surprises.

A flash of deep red and the binoculars reveal a gory mess trickling down one of this tree's colossal limbs. A thorough inspection reveals the big cat responsible, our dominant male leopard is still ruling the rocks and he's showing no sign of slowing down.

There are more bloody patches on this tree, clearly his table manners leave a lot to be desired.

We wait a little and sure enough he's just taking a breather between courses.

There is a fair amount of satisfied growling and grunting as he tears into what is left of a young Warthog.

His eyes are wild in this picture below, excited by the taste of meat his pupils dilate as he feeds.

He'll need to keep his strength up, his is a prime territory to protect and there are a number of females in the area that will expect his attentions in the coming months.

It's a jolly good job that he stashed a second young Warthog in this favoured dining spot. How he managed to whack two for one sitting we will never know - he's a killing machine for sure and he's bad news for Pumba.

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