Leopard 1

Animal Spotlight

The Leopard Saga II

Dawn has arrived once more to the forests of Sri Lanka. The golden morning light streams though the dense canopies above and sparkles on the ground like specks of gold dust. The night had been peaceful for most animals but it was fatal for one creature and a painful loss for another.

During the night, a lone chital doe had given birth in what she thought was relative safety but alas, the female leopard caught the scent of the afterbirth. She stalked both the doe and her offspring and just before striking, the female leopard selected her eventual target. With a swift and sudden move, she burst out of the undergrowth that hid her so well and went straight for the newborn fawn. The doe was helpless and could only flee for her life. The fawn would had been able to keep up with its mother but the female leopard cut off its escape route in a single bound. Life was very short for this little one but its sacrifice will at least ensure the survival of the leopard family for a while. For the grief-stricken doe, she can only hope for better luck for her next year's offspring.

As the forest begins to bathe in the morning light, the female leopard lies on her side for a short nap. Suddenly her swiveling ears pick up the sounds of an intruder closing in. It is another leopard who is being drawn by the scent of fresh meat - the partially eaten fawn. The female leopard finds the scent familiar and lets out a warning snarl. The intruder seems to ignore the warnings and comes even closer. The cubs are close by so the female leopard is very anxious.

The intruder turns out to be a young female leopard. She is a daughter from the last litter, the sole survivor of that previous litter of 3. The daughter lowers her head and tucks in her tail as she approaches cautiously. She eyes the carcass as well as her mother. The daughter had left her mother only 6 months ago and has not yet honed her hunting skills. She has not eaten for days and is desperate, even to the extend of begging from her mother who might attack her.

If the kill had been larger like an adult chital, the older female leopard might have obliged her daughter a few bites. But today, the newborn fawn is hardly enough for her, let alone share with another leopard. The older female leopard rushes at her former daughter and the latter breaks away after a brief scuffle. Her mother had been kind, the daughter received only a small nip on her hindquarters. The message is clear - she is now on her own, her mother has long 'disowned' her. Gone were the days when the daughter received tender and undivided loving care from her mother.

This is the beginning of independant life for a young female leopard. She must now find her own territory to hunt in. If she survives to adulthood and reaches sexual maturity, she will eventually attract a mate and have her own cubs. If all goes well, she will walk the same path as her mother, just like her female ancestors did.

This is the law of survival, the law that shows no mercy to weaklings, prey and predator alike.......

Acknowledgements / Bibliography - Facts and photos are from Wildlife Factfiles, the 1st edition of the Docent's Training CD-Rom and Night Safari VCD, leopard story from the vivid imagination of an anonymous VR who has been watching too many animal documentaries.

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