Leopards in the Masai Mara, Kenya

The Leopard is another beautiful cat with tremendous strength and the largest of the spotted cats. The adults lead a solitary existence, only coming together during periods of mating.  The females give birth to as many as 6 cubs which she will keep well hidden for about 6 weeks.  They do not become independent until about 2 years old.  Leopards are mainly nocturnal and if seen during the day they are usually resting in deep vegetation or in a tree, often with an animal they killed during the night and dragged into the tree. The amazing leopard in the pictures below was spotted in the morning resting in the tree top next to a Grant's Gazelle that she had probably killed during the evening and dragged into the tree so that other predators could not enjoy her hard earned meal.  We observed her in the morning for several hours and learned that she had two cubs hidden in the brush below.  When we came back in the afternoon there was a storm brewing the the background and the clouds were a dark blue gray which provided for a great background and one of my favorite shots as mom came down the tree to check on her cubs and turned at the perfect moment to look in my direction - a photographer's dream.  We were fortunate to see one of her cubs climb up the tree to eat with mom, but the other cub stayed on the ground - she was much smaller and apparently not strong enough yet to climb the tree for food. 

LEOPARDS OF THE MASAI MARA L-101: Coming Down