Looking back at My Time with Leopards at MalaMala [Safari in South Africa]
- Jamie Thom
- Jun 9, 2020
- 1 min read
Updated: Oct 9, 2020
I spent four years [1995 to 2000] working at MalaMala in South Africa, which is in the Sabi Sands Reserve and part of the greater Kruger National Park eco-system. It was a wonderful time of my life, an opportunity to live with animals in their natural habitats and share with guests [on a luxury South Africa safari] this incredible experience. Having spent much time in the Kruger National Park, where you have limited opportunity to view predators, I realised what a privilege it was to be able to drive off-road, and really observe creatures behaving naturally. Leopards are notoriously elusive, but at Mala Mala we saw plenty, pretty much every day and on some days we saw many different individuals - my record was nine different leopards in one day. I fell in love with leopards and couldnt wait to watch and photograph them, from mating and cubs to territorial fights and of course the hunt - rarely observed!
Here is a selection of my images of leopards, all shot on film, before digital cameras came along, so please forgive the slide mounts and dust/scratches!
If you are looking to come on a luxury safari to South Africa, MalaMala is one of the very best destinations, where you are guaranteed to see a lot!
Jamie Thom guide Leopard on game drive Tracker, John Sithole leopard warthog kill Zebra kill and leopard Fresh warthog kill Leopard tracks Pre hunt stretch Pre-hunting stretch On the hunt Leopard in spotlight Leopard territory mark Leopard on game drive Young male leopard Leopard looking for prey Leopards fight Leopard at dusk mid morning drinks Leopard under the moonlight On patrol Prey has been spotted Seeking cover Moments after the kill Kudu kill Nimble and arboreal Hoist from the ground hoisting her kill hoisting the kill drag marks Bushbuck carcass descent Curiosity Time to move on Cub in her lair Leopards court mother and cub Escape lions Vertical escape Hiss for a hyena Into the night
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