Know about the Elusive Leopard

Know about the Elusive Leopard

Know about the Elusive Leopard

The leopard is a member of the cat family, known by scientists as Felidae, which refers to an assortment of animals grouped as small and big cats like lions, cheetahs, jaguar, cougar, and Iberian lynx. It survives in almost any habitat, given sufficient food and shelter, hence thriving in the most diverse range of habitats and it enjoys the widest distribution among land mammals in the tropics.

In some modern day monarchies of Buganda, Busoga, Luo in Uganda, the leopard was and is still held high in regard among other wild animals. The leopard was considered a god and many kings and rulers gabbed themselves in leopard skins and set its image on their royal emblems in order to denote that their character stood on the same pedestal with that of the big cat. Unlike in the past where the leopard enjoyed a widely dispersed habitat all over the world, today they are mostly concentrated in Africa and Asia and can be spotted on wildlife safaris.

Leopards have been found in the most unusual of places, from deserts to mountain tops and even in cities. For instance in 1990, Uganda wildlife authority officials were spell bound when three leopards were found living in a Kampala city train station. Its elegance set aside, the leopard's beautiful coat has gathered it so much envy and jealousy from fashion designers, who see it as a potential raw material to help enhance their design trends, something which has prompted the animal to enter the endangered species list.

Leopards in east Africa have round spots unlike the square spots of the southern African species. A fully grown adult leopard stretches between 1 to 1.5m and can reach a weight of 60kg. Leopards are solitary animals associating only long enough to mate. Females are ready to breed at about 2yrs of age, when they produce up to 3 cubs after a gestation period of about 90 days.

Despite their wide distribution, the leopards are unlikely to be easily spotted. As a result, any traveler determined to see this secretive, nocturnal big cat must be very calm and patient, for only the most enduing are rewarded. Scientists too have difficulty spotting them, thus the consequence of them not being well studied and documented like the rest of the big cats.

Leopards are also fine, strong tree climbers a key competitive advantage over the rest of the carnivores. They can lift a carcass 3 times their own weight up a tree to protect it from scavengers. Leopards spend most of their days inactive, draped over tree branches, so in order to see them set your eyes to the treetops.

You are also advised to take your game drives very silently and watch out at rivers and water holes. The leopard is a stalking predator and lies ready to pounce at such places where prey would seek food and water. In the wee hours of the morning leopards can some times be seen basking on the rocks by a lucky few. On a Uganda safari you can spot leopards in Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Kidepo valley national park and Lake Mburo national park.

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