We’re front-row spectators to a lioness teaching her cub how to hunt. She hides behind the vehicles to get closer. They pass so near us that they don’t fit entirely in the frame.
The cub follows and waits behind its mother until she gives the green light. Despite a long wait and the mother’s subtle advance, the prey moves away. The lioness yawns, signaling it’s time to go—she stands up and heads back with the cub to where they came from.
This session lasted over 45 minutes, but those minutes didn’t feel long at all—we were completely captivated by this beautiful moment.
During our last outing to Buffalo Springs, Félix tells us a leopard was spotted in a tree by the road. The excitement peaks because we know it’ll be close enough.
Sure enough, a female lounges on the branches of a beautiful acacia. Félix wants to get as close as possible, but we ask him to hang back a bit... same old issue—she doesn’t quite fit in the frame, but she’s stunning.
She’s not asleep and keeps an eye on her prey lying at the base of the tree with its belly torn open.
Other vehicles stop for a few minutes and leave disappointed by the lack of action. Félix asks if we want to drive around the park and come back later.
In unison, we say no—no way, let’s wait!
After 2 hours of waiting and 250 photos of the beauty, captured like a model from every angle—one eye open, both eyes open, one paw dangling, the other raised—we have to leave because it’s getting dark.
Félix turns around a little farther on, stops for one last photo as we pass, and that’s when she decides to climb down from the tree.
We’re completely thrilled as she calmly heads toward her prey and starts tearing at the skin, spitting out the gazelle’s fur.
Félix doesn’t give us a choice—night is falling, and we *have* to return to the lodge now.
Wildlife photography demands a lot—*a lot*—of patience.
That patience is sometimes rewarded, like it was that day.
It doesn’t always work out, though. You have to accept that animals might not be around or might be too far away to photograph—you don’t win every time.
That night, we didn’t sleep well—too excited, and with one question on our minds... would she still be there the next morning?
The rest here
