When you’re lucky, you’re lucky! The gorgeous blue-eyed leopard Chavaluthu (“afraid of nothing”) has been seen at Ezulwini over consecutive game drives, offering guests the great fortune of up close and unforgettable leopard viewing. This male leopard has been around for many years – past guests remember interactions with him back in the day – and still parades his territory with deserved confidence.
Chavaluthu killed an impala and was seen yesterday morning tucking in to his well earned meal, then again yesterday afternoon, guests saw him leaping effortlessly into a tree where he had stashed the remains of his kill. Leopards will frequently hide the carcasses of their kills in hard-to-reach places to protect them from scavenging predators like lions and hyenas. We know of lions climbing trees to steal from leopards, so this doesn’t always work out! Luckily for Chavaluthu, his impala stayed safe and he was able to return to it in the evening.
Leopards, like all other predators, will try and tear every last mouthful off their carcasses before abandoning the bones for the jackals and vultures, but rarely finish their kill in one sitting. Lions will lie, belly-up and fast asleep in the shade near their carcass in between feeding times, and leopards (being no match for lions, or even hyenas) will try and hide their kill before going off to sleep in between meal times.
Chavaluthu must have done just this after he finished feeding yesterday morning, and decided it was time to feast once again just as Ezulwini guests arrived on the scene! Great timing to watch this incredible leopard walk straight passed the vehicle, yawn and stretch on the ground, flash those blue-eyed good looks, and leap into the tree to continue feeding.
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