Ok, so ‘favourite’ might be a bit biased, because with all the leopards loping in and out of the Umkumbe traverse, there are bound to be other ‘favourites’. But the Notten’s female has been around for such a long time and she exudes confidence and elegance like no other cat does, so it is safe to say that all those guests and guides that have been privileged enough to see her on safari might rank her highly on their leopard sightings list. This time, we got her just as she was tucking into a meal she made of a white-tailed mongoose! This is the Notten’s leopard on a kill.
The Notten’s female strolls through her territory with purpose and is beautifully habituated to the Umkumbe game drive vehicles, which results in fantastic sightings like this one.
Guide Marius has commented on this leopard’s behaviour saying, “When Nottens has made up her mind of where she wants to be, nothing will stand in her way. She will climb over obstacles to get to her destination. I have noticed that she loves strolling through open areas.”
Lezel, who snapped these shots of Notten’s while out with her guests, also described this legendary leopard: “Nottens is the oldest leopard. She has a torn ear but doesn’t have as many scars as White Dam. We believe Nottens is roughly 14 years of age. To me she is a very, very relaxed leopard. She is really not aggressive.”
So, everybody might have their favourite, but for now, Notten’s is topping the charts with her expert hunting and super casual attitude towards her fans in the game viewers!
mike