Rock Fig

Leopard Panthera pardus

The leopard is a member of the Felidae family with a wide range in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, West Asia, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia to Siberia. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because it is declining in large parts of its range due to habitat loss and fragmentation, and hunting for trade and pest control.

A recent visit to Rock Fig Lodge on the Timbavati Private Game Reserve, adjacent to the Kruger National Park in South Africa produced some dramatic leopard sitings. This image is of the namesake mother leopard currently parenting a single male cub.

The black-and-white medium just seems appropriate for this dramatic early morning image!