Get me a ladder!!

[Marc Mol]

6.38pm.

One of the highlights of my return to Ruaha NP for the green season was the descent from this giant baobab of this female leopard.
I was fortunate to capture the whole sequence from start to the landing. What a sighting!!
This is the female known as "Furaha" which is swahili for joy..................and what a joy it was to witness this rock wall like descent.
The pink/grey tone in the Baobab is normal and very evident @ dusk & dawn.
Ruaha NP-Tanzania

D3s 80-400 AF-S f/5.6 1/500s ISO4000@ 240mm. Almost F/F. In hindsight ISO 6400 may have been be preferable to increase SS

C & C most welcome

Cheers
Marc

[Morkel Erasmus]

Dream sighting for me!!
Amazing dexterity and poise here...from an aesthetics POV I wish the green foliage at the bottom weren't there , but I'd take this any day, very green about it...

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Marc - what a fun, unusual image. I agree with your self-critique that a little more ss would have been better but still a great sighting and image.

TFS,
Rachel

[Marc Mol]

Thanks Rachel & Morkel

Dream sighting for me!!
Amazing dexterity and poise here...from an aesthetics POV I wish the green foliage at the bottom weren't there , but I'd take this any day, very green about it...

I knew you'd appreciate this one Morkel, yes would love the green foliage not be there but required that extra lower room so it's there.
I have plenty that just have the baob BG.
Also 7 totally wild leopard in 12 nights for any time is very good, let alone the green season with 1M grass is just amazing!

[Martin Dunn]

A wonderful moment to witness and capture Marc.

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Nice one, Marc! A good illustration of these cats' amazing abilities to climb the most impossible trees. Lots of evidence of elephant damage on the tree as well!

[Marc Mol]

Thanks Martin & Tobie

Lots of evidence of elephant damage on the tree as well!

Very much so, it's calculated that 99.9% of ALL Baobabs in RuahaNP have suffered some sort of ele damage, which takes place in the latter part of the dry season.
Most manage to survive quite well.

[Andre Pretorius]

Love it, Marc

Agree with S/S but, this is such a special moment captured.

The damage on Baobab give us some reference of the height of an Ellie, that is where there tusks can reach.

Have seen that a few meters of soccer ball size rocks placed close together around the base of the tree very effective to keep them away..

Andre.

[Marc Mol]

Thanks Andre

The damage on Baobab give us some reference of the height of an Ellie, that is where there tusks can reach.


Andre.

To a certain extent, but a lot of times the distance exceeds the tusk reach as they often tear off huge strips and that becomes the end/breaking point.

Have seen that a few meters of soccer ball size rocks placed close together around the base of the tree very effective to keep them away..

Andre.

True.

Imagine the logistics of doing that in a National Park such as Ruaha

[Steve Kaluski]

I think the little bit of green foliage creates a splash of colour to the image.

[Gabriela Plesea]

I too like the greens, completely agree with Steve above regarding the "splash of colour"

Fantastic sighting, love the spread of the front limbs there, well captured and presented, Marc!

Kind regards,

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hoi Marc,

splendid image, I like it very much. I as well like the green touch very much in this image.
Btw, I have a ladder here

Enjoy your evening

Ciao
Anette

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Marc, like it as is , good job on capturing this.
I like the green foliage very much , adding a nice color variation to the frame. In a perfect world it would sit slightly more in the frame and just in the corner, from my POV.
TFS Andreas

[Neil Burton]

Very pleasing image, looks like a climber on a rock face.