Peter Gallagher Dot Net

Snarl... — You don't really want to be this close...

South Luwangwa Leopards

The best-dressed of predators

First published: 24 Aug 2026

The three young leopards we saw in the region around Kaingo Camp in South Luangwa were beautiful to watch. Like the lions they were active mostly in the early morning or around sunset. But unlike the lions -- who lay around openly in the sun during the day -- dozing leopards were much harder to find.

Climbing higher in the tree looking for a resting place (or a meal).

Posing in the scrub. Like other predators, the leopards took no notice of us as we photographed.

Afternoon sunlight catches a leopard walking across the edge of a water-hole with patches of mud.

A confident stride past us in the jeep.

The leopard's relaxed saunter seems the hallmark of an athlete.

A leopard with an implala kill, perched on a tree branch, partially obscured by leaves and branches.

'Get outta my face...!'

A leopard hiding in tall grass caught in the spotlight on a night-time drive.

Early evening. Tired from the hunt, she has to haul her impala kill up into a tree to protect it from other predators...