Muli Bwanji (hello) everyone Even driven through an enchanted Ebony Grove enticed by a leopards call? Visited Kaingo in August and this was one of THE highlights of my year! Derek Shenton’s got a way with leopards If there is anyone so passionate about leopards it has to be my friend and long time conservationist, Derek Shenton. Derek and the leopards of Kaingo span back a few generations, so much so that no one quite knows who actually rules the territory – Derek or the leopards! It all began with Goldie…….. Goldie was a beautiful female leopard that lived near Kaingo when it opened in 1992. Over the next eight years Derek & Goldie shared the same neighbourhood, with Derek following her marking, mating, hunting & calling. Many cubs were born and she felt nothing to pop into camp & mark her territory. She was honey gold in colour, moved like molten metal and had a certain zip and tolerance of humans that is quite rare. Salani Bwino (go well) (Chinyanja is the local dialect in the area – of the South Luangwa Valley) In search of Goldies’s off-spring Goldie’s legacy lives on at Kaingo today in a strong male leopard called Goldie’s Son. He, together with a couple of big males rule the area of Kaingo & Mwamba, an area covering about 200 sq km. Fact File: • Leopards never change their spots... • The most leopards I’ve ever seen at Kaingo in one day is seven! • For almost every leopard sighting, there is another member of the animal kingdom to thank! (alarm calls) • Too many of Africa’s leopards are being shot annually by hunters. • Leopards are by far the most agile of the big cats. Kaingo operates between June and October each year. To experience some of Kaingo’s wonderful leopards, join one of my departures in 2008. Top leopard picture (Goldie’s Son) and info courtesy of Derek & Jules