"There is an extraordinary cat in this forest." "The ultimate predator." "A silent and often invisible killer." "Every leopard has unique markings, but this one has a small round spot to the right of her nose, between the two solid whisker lines." "This will always distinguish her from the others." "This is the story of Legadema, a jewel of the forest, who reflects in the shine of her eyes all the experiences of a life running a gauntlet of death from her very first day." "Her story through the Eye of the Leopard." "This is her place, these flooded marsh lands of a place called Mombo in Botswana's Okavango delta." "It is Africa's garden of Eden, with fertile floodplains filled with nutrients and greenery." "It is the very best leopard territory you can imagine, and this is where Legadema must carve out a place for herself, defend her space and disappear in the mosaic of the swamp and bush." "There is another leopard here, resting comfortably in the warm embrace of an ancient baobab tree." "Leopards have climbed this same tree for over 500 years, generation after generation." "But now, this leopard is queen here." "And this is Legadema's mother, a strong willed leopardess that tolerates no intruders in her piece of Africa." "None that is, but this male." "He asks no permission." "He's the dominant leopard from the Burnt Ebony tree to the south, a huge beast who prowls through her territory, and those of six other females as well." "He is a scar-faced survivor, hunter of at least 36 species in his range." "Few are immune from his special talents." "Variety is the key to his success." "Specialist hunters die when their prey dies out, but leopards simply switch to their next victim." "As a result, leopards stalk the forests from the tip of Africa to the eastern edge of Asia, from coasts to mountain tops." "The most prolific great cat on Earth." "It all started for this cub with the unique spot, three years ago to the day." "It was a passionate and explosive affair with snarling exposed teeth and fur flying." "When leopards mate, their intensity shudders through the forest." "The couple shun food for a week and mate almost continuously." "And then quite suddenly, they part company for months, even years." ""Legadema" is the local Setswana name for the lightning that rolls in at that time of the year." "It means "light from the sky or above"." "3 months later, the new dominant male from the Burnt Ebony tree became a father." "Legadema was born." "She first emerged into the sunlight at 8th days, senses alive, bristling with interest." "Her eyes locked on something wonderful and enticing straight away." "She ventured out..." "like an explorer." "From that day on, the forest would be changed." "Every leopard needs to learn quickly how to climb with confidence, to master heights for hunting and to escape danger." "It takes time." "And from the very beginning, a cub must draw on that deep inner instinct as a predator, to stalk, hunt and kill." "For the survivors, it is hardwired." "The first few days will always determine their odds." "Legadema's first attack was a good start." "Her intense focus on the kill - important, her inherited technique almost perfect, but she lacked something vital." "She was still too innocent to understand the obvious signs of danger." "Her mother knew them intimately." "They have attacked before." "Twice, they killed her cubs." "Daily, they dog her every move, waiting for yet another macabre free meal." "Each time she dropped her guard, they had swooped down." "Now, even though she was vicious in her defense, they'd been found." "The den revealed." "It would just be a matter of time before they came back." "All her hopes were now invested in this latest cub." "A leopard's first instinct is to hide and stay hidden." "Invisibility is their best weapon and best defense." "So when the news of their den rippled through the forest that day, the mother knew it was time to move on." "It would be the first of many moves for the young Legadema." "Each time, the cub would go into a typical "cat freeze", the instant her mothers jaws clamped gently around her neck." "It was her earliest instinct." "To feed them both, her mother needed to hunt." "To hunt, she had to leave her cub vulnerable to the things that lurk in the darkness and prey on the innocent." "Already little Legadema knew one voice in the frightening cacophony of the dawn chorus, her mother's secret message to her that she was coming home." "But she heard other calls as well." "Nearby the den, there had been growls and cries of agony in the night." "Some hapless leopard, an interloper himself, had been caught out in the open, a fatal error in lion country." "Fate had saved Legadema." "The lions on a direct route to her den were distracted by some more pressing adventure." "Each dawn was a desperate mission to find her way back to her cub undetected." "For a cat that prefers to live like a ghost, running a gauntlet of detection demands almost military stealth and planning." "The local baboon troop is the hardest to avoid." "Over the years, the troop has grown from a few dozen to nearly a hundred members." "They know their local leopard and always keep a wary eye scanning the forest floor for any sign of her." "So each and every return to the den is a victory." "Each time that Legadema survived another night, was a success that none of the other cubs in 5 years ever achieved." "Mother and daughter lived one day at a time." "Impala antelope are the staple leopard diet here." "They gather in herds of hundreds, but just before the rains, they separate quietly to find private places of the forest... to give birth." "This glorious fragility is a celebration of all life, and under the constant gaze of over a hundred baboons standing guard, few predators can sneak in undetected." "Impala rely on this added help and stay close to baboons." "Suddenly, all the rules of the bush were turned upside down!" "Baboons are mostly vegetarian, adding a few insects or possibly birds when they can get them, but when the alpha male charged in, sinking his teeth into her tender flesh, it was a reminder that there are no absolute rules here." "She couldn't resist." "The smell of blood, the cries of anguish." "She was programmed to respond." "She left her cub to feed her curiosity." "But the kill put everyone on high alert." "She had a cub in a new den, exposed in a forest running wild with baboons on the rampage, and a quick choice to make." "Return to defend her cub, or run and hide." "Her return, led them straight back to the den!" "If lions are her enemies, hyenas a constant irritation, it is the baboons that are her nemeses!" "The fortress of branches from the fallen tree held up, despite the baboons attempts to dismantle it." "They survived this attack, but for the young impressionable cub, the rules of engagement had been established." "Baboons would be her most fearsome threat." "A hasty retreat up a tree wouldn't be effective, baboons can go anywhere leopards can, and they do." "It is war between them, a battle that the marauding baboons will take up in a heartbeat." "Each experience makes up who she is, and arms her for the future." "For the time being, Legadema and her mother could settle, as the tension dissipated, mother and cub alone together," "Legadema safe in the soft folds of her mother's embrace." "But it was only a temporary respite." "Now that the baboons had found them, they would visit this spot regularly, just to make sure." "The second den was no longer safe." "It was time to move on again." "That was nearly three years ago." "And yet, as Legadema looks out across the forest, the distant bark of a baboon still send shivers across her skin." "Somewhere across the forest, her mother is ready to move." "Legadema is aware of every movement." "Something is wrong." "Leopards usually live under a cloak of invisibility." "Her rasping calls at midday are a betrayal of her usual disguise." "Even with so much distance between them," "Legadema recognizes the call, a sound that from her birth signified the protective safety of her mother." "Today it is still a magnet for her." "She must respond." "There is a certain..." "conduct among leopards." "Approach carefully and discretely, even if you're a friend or you'll be treated like an enemy." "So Legadema bides her time, careful not to give herself away to the forest, but slowly heading north towards the calls, towards a meeting that might change her life." "Legadema's delicate maneuvering towards her mother is typical of a solitary cat's life." "She learned how to be alone very early in life." "When she was three months old," "Legadema was already on her own for days at a time." "It was a huge risk." "At that age, cubs are desperate to see the world, and Legadema was no exception." "The slightest movement nearby of anything even vaguely her fighting weight was fair game." "Some prey are not very accommodating." "Monitor lizards are quick and dangerous, and her instincts told her to get around behind the hissing dragon, but when some thorns got behind her, her confidence was destroyed." "As Legadema wandered off further and further from where she had been left, she went deeper into the unknown, testing her boundaries, but exposing herself to dangers she could not even imagine." "Her mother had lost two cubs like this before, lost in an impossible maze of fallen trees and thickets or snatched up by some passing opportunist." "But this time alone, established the style of life Legadema would have to lead." "She was learning to be independent." "The calls from her mother have stopped, but Legadema can feel her presence." "A distant monkey alarm pinpoints her, the birds suddenly taking flight." "A sudden silence, all clues that she doesn't miss." "She turns north to intercept her." "When she hears the alarm nearby, she knows it can't be her mother." "The forest seems to conspire against leopards, and Legadema is as curious as any to see what the problem is." "Monkeys litter the forest." "Because of the ideal feeding conditions here, each troop can virtually see their neighbors most of the time." "Fights break out, and Legadema leaves off going to meet her mother to investigate the ruckus." "It's worth the distraction." "Monkeys have always held a... special place in her heart." "Her intense interest in monkeys started when she was just a few months old, watching her mother." "To catch a monkey is nearly impossible." "It is a mind game, a careful calculation of how to get to the taunting little apes." "As a young impressionable cub," "Legadema watched every move her mother made and learned." "What makes it such a challenge, is that these agile little apes flip lightly from tree to tree, cleverly understanding that the high branches can take their weight, but cannot support a leopard." "Leopard know their limitations." "The cub's keen eyes and pliable mind had watched every move in this three dimensional chess game." "With pawns that can leap from tree to tree 80 feet up in the air... and a queen wrestling with her next move." "It was here, at this moment, she had understood!" "She was watching this queen solve the puzzle." "The key to monkey hunting is to control the high ground, keep them beneath you and out of the flimsy tree tops, and to hunt... down!" "From that moment on, she knew it too." "Command the high tree tops, and you have your monkey." "Leopards have an uncanny ability to visualize an ascent in an instant and mentally plan each foothold before they leap up a thorny tree trunk, with a near vertical incline, all while holding a dead-weight in their jaws." "Legadema's kill is a good one, the monkey is alpha male." "It will throw the troop into disarray for weeks, and make them vulnerable." "But even though her meal may last a day or two, they will be even more alert now." "This knowledge of how to kill and how to survive, handed down from mother to daughter, is a legacy keeping their bloodline alive from generation to generation." "Legadema is the only surviving cub of this territory, chosen by fate, to continue that lineage forward." "On her father's side, the Burnt Ebony male adds his own strong hunting skills and quiet confidence to her genetic mix." "His bigger body weight allows for a wider range of hunting than she can manage, but his greatest skill is his ability to clinically analyze the forest, with cold calculation." "The result is often surprising." "When the buffalo stream in from the swamp," "Burnt Ebony doesn't move away, but chooses a parallel course." "For a leopard to hunt buffalo would be extremely rare, they're too large and much too risky to take on." "But he knows what he is doing." "In this part of the world, the dust kicked up by a herd is a flag, fluttering its signal to every lion in the area." "Burnt Ebony doesn't care." "And he holds his course." "Usually leopards bolt at the first sign of a lion, but when he strolls on with little more than a glance over his shoulder, his confidence unnerves the lions." "Besides, for them the air is filled with the scent of a more exciting prey." "His eyes miss nothing." "His ears scan for the faintest clue." "The stage is set." "Impossible prey, the area's largest predators, and a chaotic killing field." "This is exactly what Burnt Ebony has been waiting for." "But, he had better beware." "The hallmark of a leopard is his sharp mind and instincts, cunning stealth and his cold calculation." "His signature is this death grip, silencing his prey in an instant." "This way he can kill right under the noses of the hunting lions, and within a herd of buffalo, without them even knowing he is there." "But most of all, he sees confusion as an advantage." "The slightest smell of blood on the air brings out the "piranhas of the bush"." "But leopards can hoist twice their own body weight vertically up a tree, so the baby buffalo takes little effort." "But retreat is not an option for this leopard." "He is always ready to turn and confront and growl his warning displeasure." "It's sometimes hard for us to appreciate that in this melee of strange looking animals and incidental interactions, many of these creatures actually know one another intimately." "The hyenas can tell him apart from other leopards." "Legadema has inherited some of these traits from her father, but the hyenas and lions here don't treat her with the same respect." "It's a lesson she learned early on in life." "She was a six month old cub then." "Mother and daughter were spending all their time together." "They were comfortable, perhaps even enjoying each other as they spent hours playing and hunting together." "Legadema was becoming more of a companion to her mother than just a cub." "On this day she was being shown the boundaries of the territory and everything was new for her." "It was her first wet season." "Butterflies and flowers danced in front of her eyes, luring her off into the forest, further and further from her mother." "Distraction like this, can mean the difference between life and death in a place bristling with other predators." "Fortunately for leopards, the lions here are too bulky to climb trees." "Suddenly, there were lions everywhere, young energetic lions that don't know their limitations." "They are always keen to drag another cat down and rip it to pieces." "It is a dark competitive instinct within them, and that day they had a real chance of succeeding." "But Legadema has an advantage over them in tree climbing." "Unlike lions, leopards have a locking wrist or ankle bone." "When lions climb, their ankles slide sideways under their body weight." "Even turning around is difficult, and they often end up in an undignified heap at the base of the tree." "Caught in a tree with lions camped out between them," "Legadema's mother had no way of knowing if the growls and hisses in the distance was Legadema in serious trouble, or not." "To survive, she should stay in the tree tops." "But as a mother, she needed to get to her cub." "Legadema's mother decided to risk all to get to her cub." "Too much excitement for one day, and the lions barely noticed her discreet exit." "Legadema's alert awareness of the forest has saved her." "Together at last, the crisis avoided, mother and daughter released the pent up tension that staring danger in the face always brings." "The two relieved cats resumed their play, even more connected by their traumatic adventure, flying through the trees like high wire acrobats, suspended in a world of their own, way above the dangers that lions and hyenas bring down below." "Lions or no lions, this was their time to be together." "A time to share each other's elation and each other's pain, in a way that only mothers and daughters can ever know." "Each day, Legadema was adding small pieces of knowledge to her arsenal, emotions that would guide her through life." "Today, this young female with a unique whisker spot is bush wise." "Those early games have taught her how to slip up and down trees in a blur of movement and to know her escape routes well." "In a place like Mombo, any leopard runs the risk of walking into much larger animals." "The predator scent that surrounds her brings out their aggression." "Almost everything chases a cat here, especially a small one like Legadema." "A cat that can't find that hollowed out log to retreat to in a moment's crisis, will be caught out and attacked." "But this is her world." "It is her place of comfort, in trees she has run up a hundred times, or down paths led only by familiar scents." "Her beautifully patterned fur is like her cloak of invisibility, but one creature in the treetops always sees through her disguise." "It is a constant irritation." "When her eyes stray to squirrels, they know the trouble is coming their way." "From her earliest days," "Legadema's destiny would be intertwined with these screeching alarmists high up in the forest." "Deep within her soul lurked a lethal killer, but at two weeks old... she couldn't quite get the execution right." "The mind was willing, but the legs were simply too short." "Within her though, the quiet seeds of a supreme squirrel huntress were starting to grow." "They taunted her for months with a continual stream of insults from above, and she had had enough." "Their time had come!" "She was focused and ready." "At three months old, she was agile enough, no longer afraid of heights and ready to take her small fight to the battle field." "Squirrel hunting is a bit like monkey hunting, but faster!" "It's like unlocking a series of puzzles all joined together, a game of aerial hide and seek." "Every nerve in her body danced with the anticipation of her first kill, alive at that moment of death, hungry for her initiation into the world of predators." "But at three months old, Legadema was only nearly ready." "She had the heart of a hunter... but not the balance yet." "She had the eye of a leopard, but not the best appreciation of her growing hip size behind her." "She'd have to wait a while longer for that first kill." "The chase had inflamed her passion for the hunt, and the squirrels." "Things were about to change." "Today, Legadema is the most deadly squirrel hunter in the entire region." "For her, this was never merely practice for larger prey." "Her fascination with squirrels has gone way beyond the potential of a furry mouthful of bones." "It is a battle of wills and she has become an expert." "These tiny african squirrels have been fleeing for their lives ever since she was a cub." "They have almost become an obsession for her." "She has figured out how to hunt them down and spares no amount of energy to get to a squirrel." "Legadema relishes each morsel she catches." "In the past three years, she must have reduced the local squirrel population by at least 300!" "It is a passion for this leopard." "It is an intoxicating reward." "But with each kill, her activity unveils her." "She hates being seen." "All leopards do." "When one animal sets off a general alarm, it ripples through the forest, warning all of them." "And yet, it is a rare moment to glimpse a ghost out in the open, before it disappears into the ether." "Some, like the impala here, seem fascinated by the vision." "They sometimes follow, just to keep an eye on her for as long as possible." "A leopard you can see, is always better than one you can't." "Their snorting calls add another layer to the complex network of information that all animals rely on." "Legadema has found a different signal, a scents that, once decoded, she knows belongs to her mother." "She came this way recently." "But as Legadema inhales, the message is disturbing." "She senses something new within her mother, a change." "And a change she may not like." "It is piglet season again!" "She'll interrupt anything for this." "Two years ago, she was introduced to the delights of the pig season for the first time, while watching her mother." "A leopard, her mother's size, will stay well clear of the big sows." "They're aggressive and solidly built." "The deep holes in the sand are where the real little treasures are buried." "It's not as easy as it looks." "If the mothers return, the leopard is in a... very vulnerable position!" "Her mother was expert at this kind of hunting." "The strange and unfamiliar meat needed to be tasted to be appreciated." "But this harvesting of warthogs, registered in her young mind as a very easy way to get the most succulent meal in the bush." "And one by one, they were gathered up that day." "Legadema would have to wait nearly three years before she could try it for herself." "She's too eager." "The old sow is too quick." "Mistakes may be one way to learn, but they are also a way to die." "The furtive dash, for the safety of a den, is what she'd been waiting for." "Now she is back in the game." "In a realm she remembers, hole hunting." "But with the big pigs around, who knows for sure, what exactly is down the hole?" "Legadema now has a piglet exactly where she wants it." "She knows it." "He knows it." "Now, it's just a matter of time." "And she adds her own variation on the theme of hole hunting." ""In time, somebody's nerve will break."" "It is her first warthog kill." "A real hunt, not just the deep hole collecting that her mother taught her, but a running attack." "The sows are back." "She swiftly uses that internal road map to escape effectively." "And behind her, she has left enough chaos to open a chance for yet another opportunistic attack." "Technically, this is her piglet as well, but Legadema has to simply watch the injustice and be content with what she has." "Warthogs often mount brave rescues of their young, but the jackal's kill today only attracts two young males." "Their interest may be less heroic than sinister." "Warthogs do eat meat sometimes, even injured or dead piglets!" "Eventually, tension eases, and the forest seems to relax again." "It's been another "first" for Legadema on her journey from adolescent to adult leopardess." "More and more she is gaining control of her surroundings, perhaps even learning skills beyond squirrel hunting." "And in a moment of elation, she erupts into play, the reaction of a young predator still suspended in time somewhere between killer and cub." "That distinctive spot of hers has blood on it." "And as always, she is being watched." "All it takes is a glance." "A perfect vertical ascent." "There are seldom private moments for Legadema." "Hyenas follow her around all the time, just in case an opportunity for a free meal arises." "The swirling pre-storm breeze, carrying the scent of fresh blood, gave her away this time." "The violent tropical rains, so typical of this season, will wash away the old scents and clear the air." "The renewed forest will be like a fresh canvas for nature's art." "It will also wipe clean any sign of her mother." "And Legadema will have to start her search again." "If the rain persists, her hunting will be more difficult." "If she can't hunt, she doesn't have a family to hunt for her." "In bad weather, there is no one else to lean on, no warm kin to shelter with against the outside world." "For leopards, the stakes are always high." "But Legadema is not alone." "Another leopard!" "Right in the heart of her territory." "She has moved in under the cover of rain." "Once again, Legadema transforms." "She bristles with indignation, ready for battle." "This will be the fight of her life." "In her territory Legadema has surprise and aggression on her side, but she is small." "She must use every advantage against the older cat she is about to take on." "She needs to make herself appear larger." "The intruder's attack is confident and clinical, much faster than expected." "Unfortunately, it is a case of mistaken identity." "This is no intruder, but the queen of all this land." "She has just challenged her own mother!" "And has taken a beating as a result." "Her mother's rage is obvious, even to the hyenas that are shadowing the leopards more and more each day." "It is a rage born from a daughter's insolence." "Legadema's error of judgment can be blamed on the rain, but this conflict has been brewing for a long time." "Two females sharing a territory is a formula for disaster." "They are now locked in a terrible and terrifying relationship." "If Legadema is to be allowed safe passage here at all, she will have to be very careful about these meetings in the future, or the violence between them will only escalate." "But how could the bond between them have unraveled so badly?" "It all started a year and a half ago." "Legadema was not yet two years old." "She was feeling more confident each day, surviving quite well on squirrels between meals that her mother provided." "But she was still totally dependent on her mother." "Nearly two years after the traumatic baboon attack on her den, she was well aware of the dangers of being seen by the troop." "She'd had to retreat just too often." "The distant calls of a baboons still made her skin twitch, an instant reaction to run and hide." "While the baboon troop was secure in its success in scaring their local leopards into submission." "The brew of hormones and well exercised instincts boiled inside her, and forced her forward." "Although they told her to run, something else urged her to go closer and learn more about her adversaries." "The alpha male is always the biggest threat." "His forward-looking eyes scan in three dimensions." "Apes have evolved stereoscopic vision, to be able to accurately judge distance and detail for leaping through the trees, but this also makes them better at combing the bushes with quick darting eyes." "They're intelligent enough to piece together an image of a leopard from small bits of information." "The shape of an ear is enough for them to assemble an image in their minds, and scream an alarm." "And bring the alpha male closer to his ambition, to kill a leopard." "It was madness!" "A wild and reckless risk." "But by some miracle of fate," "Legadema silenced the baboon before the enormous troop could notice." "In that instant, Legadema, the curious cub, made one of her many transformations." "She was suddenly a slayer of her most feared enemy." "Quite suddenly, this already momentous kill took an amazing twist." "Something moved in the dead baboon's fur." "A day old newborn." "It took a moment for Legadema to notice." "She's always been curious." "But instead of a swift bite to the neck," "Legadema stopped... then laid down with the baboon." "She didn't know how to react." "Hyenas would normally send her scurrying for the trees, but this time, she gently lifted the baby to safety first." "Only then did she return to confront the hyena." "It was an aggressive defense, protecting the baby, not defending her kill." "Legadema's eyes never left the baby for hours, and, strangely, this newborn started following her everywhere, reaching out to her, most likely, imprinting on his new surrogate mother." "And legadema seemed to be caught up in her own internal conflict." "A young leopard at a confusing crossroads of life, torn between being a predator and an inquisitive cub." "Perhaps, something more..." "maternal and compassionate started to grow within her at that moment." "Finally, both settled down to sleep, exhausted by the event, cuddling for hours against the winter chill." "It was the cold that finally made the baby baboon go quiet." "And legadema left the body to feed on the mother." "But for a moment, the night had been filled with strangeness." "Africa is so good at divulging little secrets, just when we think that we know it all so well." "There are many myths and legends dancing around these ancient forests, where the owls call your name and the distant hippos speak to the gods." "Another layer of mystery was added, the night the leopard lay down with the baboon." "When her mother came back from her own hunt," "Legadema had quite a surprise waiting for her." "She could smell blood, and knew that the baboons had been through." "Greetings between them then were always an explosion of playful rough and tumble, but this time, when her mother darted up the tree to the source of the blood," "Legadema's reaction was a shock to her." "It was a vicious attack." "Her mother's surprising retreat was perhaps a recognition of that turning point and Legadema's right to defend her own kill." "If it had all ended there, perhaps it would have been alright." "But they were back." "Combing the forest for their lost companion and her new baby." "Despite her success, Legadema knew she'd have to give ground." "The nightmarish attacks by baboons were still imprinted on her memory." "She had the confidence to defend herself against her mother, but not against the baboons." "She abandoned her kill." "Flipping back from the aggressive adult behavior to the submissive cub signals, was Legadema's only defense against being cast away and left behind." "She could smell the impala on her mother and knew that there was a stash of fresh food ahead." "A mother's bond to her cub is often elastic, especially at this time, when she is tied to the survival of her offspring, but starting to feel the tug of becoming a solitary cat again." "Although it had been Legadema herself who had signaled this new era of their lives, she seemed reluctant to leave her mother's protection." "All that it now needed was one final push." "The smell of blood again." "Leopards have a powerful ability to pinpoint the source of a smell as delightful to them as fresh blood, or meat that is starting to turn." "Slipping back into her role as cub to be provided for, she didn't wait to be invited this time." "She didn't know that the rules had changed." "That she had changed the rules." "The usual suspects were not far off, driven to excitement by the dripping blood, just a leap away from stealing an advantage." "Hyenas snapped at them, and Legadema's decision to move the kill seemed like a good one." "But it was nearly double her weight." "Uncooperative limbs snagging everywhere." "Claws clutched desperately, frantically!" "It was a mistake." "In leopard terms, maybe one of the worst you can make, when frustrated hyenas are just waiting for that familiar thud of wet meat on the ground." "Even a pride of lions will think twice about mounting a counter attack against frenzied hyenas, but Legadema wasn't ready to accept defeat." "Perhaps she realized that it was her fault." "The low growls from her mother behind her, may have spurred her on even more." "The lone hunter needs to cut its losses sometimes, and stay fit for the next hunt." "Legadema hadn't quite grasped that yet." "Her mother, as always, understood perfectly." "It was over." "But her stiff legged walk showed her anger." "Her hisses rose to a constant growl, like a growing storm." "Her exposed fangs were a clear signal that this leopard had been pushed too far." "Now, her display focused on the root of the problem, her own confused cub, Legadema." "She spat her fury at her daughter, as if she was a lifelong enemy and hated rival." "No longer a slayer of baboons, or heroic defender against hyenas," "Legadema regressed to submissive displays, in a desperate attempt to stop the frenzied wrath of her mother." "It was an intense moment, so defining a shift that, from then on," "Legadema would no longer be her mother's cub." "It was over." "They both knew it." "And that is how her childhood ended, and that is how it is today." "As if sensing her vulnerability, there is already an intruder." "She's been aware of him for months:" "a slight pungent scent against a palm tree, the easily followed trail from scent glands in his paws, the odd unaccounted four warthog kill, left half finished in the fork of a tree." "Leopards have a way of molding into the curves of a tree in total comfort." "This young male oozes confidence." "She's known he would be coming closer sometime." "And now, he has caught up at last." "But his approach is not aggressive." "In fact, he takes his time to limber up casually in her territory." "It is a display intended for her, to convey his total confidence." "It's a mistake, of course." "His flaunting moves only attract the attention of the local baboon troop and their meat-eating leader." "These baboons have had years of practice harassing leopards." "This time the alpha male doesn't quite get the reaction he's used to." "His acrobatic threats start to attract the whole troop now." "The battle cry goes out:" ""Leopard!"" "Legadema has heard these blood chilling calls before, but always on the receiving end." "She has never seen a leopard react with such... disdain, with so little fear of her old enemies." "And thanks to the years of intimidating Legadema and her timid mother, their confidence is still running high..." "for now." "Even females and young try their hand at flushing the leopard." "But they are met with an unflinching stare from behind ready teeth and a balled up energy, ready to strike." "This confidence rattles them." "Instead of driving home their attack, they stop short." "Any leopard they know, would expect to be mobbed and ripped to pieces." "But they can sense that this one is a stranger here, there is something unknown and different about his not too veiled threats." "As the baboons make a discrete withdrawal, she makes a less discrete approach." "It's time to find out about this large dark skinned male." "Her soft sneezing and coughing is a gentle communication, a tentative introduction and a test to see if he is friend or foe." "He isn't her enemy." "But this young male carries a deadly secret within his genes." "This is Burnt Ebony's son." "Her unknown half brother, and this is their first meeting." "If she encourages him now, it will change her life and possibly alter the outcome of a long line of female hierarchy that only she carries." "But something just isn't right and she bolts." "Time is her best defense." "At Mombo, males wander 40 miles or more across a dozen female territories." "The scale and space is in itself a safeguard against incest." "Perhaps, by the time she is ready for a mate, he will be long gone in search of conquests afar." "One last rite of passage remains for Legadema." "No leopard has genuinely come of age until they have killed an impala." "From the beginning, her mother was an excellent huntress." "And a good teacher." "When Legadema was just 4 months old, her mother was already passing on that legacy." "Even then, for this step-by-step hunting education, impala was the prey of choice." "It was a vitally important introduction." "She could learn a lot from a dead animal, relying on her play instincts to pounce and attack, but it was only with a live animal that she was going to refine that and see a real example of what it means "to hunt."" "She had a diligent tutor." "This would cement the foundations of all her hunting skills." "And she tasted the slightly tangy fragrance of fresh impala in her mouth for the first time." "The cub was still much too enthralled with the newness of it all." "But something within her was starting to reveal itself." "Legadema was beginning to understand the chase, even the catch." "She recognized that something else was needed, but her mother wasn't helping her understand." "It was a confusing and hard lesson to learn." "Those first moments of innocent understanding are exquisite." "The beauty of innocence is in its total acceptance of life and death in equal measure." "The cubs apparent harshness is no more than the continuation of a process, that has been going on since leopards first evolved 3 and a half million years ago, a process that builds predators." "Something triggered inside." "The chase and the catch were merely prelude to "the kill."" "Three years of practice have deposited her here now, watching a male impala, her biggest challenge yet." "This will be her final test." "Coming of age ends here!" "This is where she earns her birthright." "Eyes like honey, but with lethal intent." "Teeth honed for the kill." "She is as supple as silk." "A magical coat of fur turns her invisible." "Soft pads cushion her movement as she floats closer to her prey." "She is focused now, a product of her instincts, her experience and her intelligence." "She is ready, the genetic pinnacle of millions of years." "She has done it!" "She can survive now, thrive anywhere, a living ghost of the forest." "She is a leopardess at last." "Her mother again." "Haunting the forest with her calls." "It is not over." "Legadema has to approach." "Even though she knows it is dangerous, she must confront her mother now." "She must either mend the rift or fight her own mother for space." "If she's forced to leave, she will be cast adrift in a sea of unfamiliarity to find her own territory." "But as the only cub of her mother, her legacy is to stay." "Just beyond the ebony forest where she herself was born, Legadema sees her mother." "It is a fitting arena for this final confrontation." "Then her mother uses that special call of hers again." "A disarming call for Legadema." "It's been a secret message between them since she was 8 days old." "It makes her hesitate." "This isn't the aggression she anticipated." "And then, she knows." "This secret call is not hers anymore." "After all this time, two new cubs." "This changes everything." "The mother sees her one grown cub in the distance, while nursing her new legacy." "There is no animosity in her eyes, just silent acceptance of that cycle having been completed." "Legadema is no longer the inheritor." "There are others, more important to her mother now." "Perhaps it's time for Legadema to move away, finally time to create her own legacy." "We admire them, we fear them." "They are our wild side, the hunter's spirit of our dreams." "We share an ancient past with these great cats, that we are now so determined to extinguish." "And yet, like the reflection in those amber eyes, our fates are linked." "If those eyes close on us forever, the world will be a sadder and less wondrous place." "Until we, too, suffer their fate."