This leopard is just waking up from his afternoon nap. The sun is beginning to set, and he’s thinking about supper. Leopards tend to hunt alone. This guy is in a dry gully. Sitting above him in our Land Rover, we can snap tons of photos of him at just about every angle from his pink tongue to his rosettes of black that help distinguish him from a cheetah.

We could see the grassy meadow above the gully, and we knew there were about fifty delicious puku grazing just over the leopard’s head, unaware that one of them was intended for dinner. Some of us hoped he would succeed, and some of us wanted to save the puku. This was a slow, deliberate leopard who knew time was on his side. Satisfied with our photos, we left him to stalk his dinner and never found out if the bush served him puku or perhaps a tiny scrub hare that night.

Safari on the River gives you a taste of Zambia and a chance to bid on an exotic, adventurous and, believe it or not, pampered African safari. You can pull for the leopard or puku, as your guides find the elusive animals we all want to see, and we’ve put a package together for a safari for two that will give you the thrill of a lifetime.

Written by Patricia Cole

An Africa Hope Fund board member for 7 years, Pat is a writer and a conservation activist. After traveling to Zambia, she became dedicated to helping Africa Hope Fund provide education to the next generation of Africans and ensure their future by protecting wildlife. Find Patricia on Facebook and Twitter, or on her websites www.writepatwrite.com and www.patmcole.com.

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