Mosi Moment
Marooned leopard, September 2001:
"The great debate about interfering with the course of nature raised its head in a big way at Nsefu last week. On a gamedrive not far upriver from camp, just past the ebony grove, the most bizarre sight greeted everybody. In the middle of a very wide stretch of the river, with fast flowing water on either side, was a long-fallen tree of considerable size. Stuck in the tree was a beautiful big male leopard! The tree was surrounded by a large number of hungry crocodiles waiting for the leopard to try and escape. Noodles told me that it was so sad to see this beautiful creature pacing up and down the length of the tree, snarling at the crocodiles, looking for a way to get out of the situation he had found himself in. How he got there is a good question - the tree was at least 20 metres from the Nsefu side and almost the same distance from the other. He must have been trying to cross the river and found himself near the tree and deep water. That night in camp everyone feared the worst. Returning to the scene the following morning there was no leopard in the tree but there were fresh leopard prints coming out of the water on the Nsefu side. If he did get escape in one piece then we would all love to know how he did it!! "
