A FRESH PERSPECTIVE

It is always an amazing privilege to encounter a female leopard with their young. This male cub was about 7 months old and was being thoroughly groomed by his experienced mother, Nkuwa. She had successfully raised 2 male cubs to adulthood and independence before, which is no small feat when considering less than 30% of leopard cubs make it to adulthood. As this young cub becomes more mobile, he too is exposed to the dangers that even his mother is vulnerable to. As I enjoyed this tender moment of washing and play between mother and son, I wanted to capture a fresh perspective between the rarity of two leopards together. I chose a close up frame, free of distraction and used the leading lines of their whiskers and also the contact line of their bodies for a different composition.

Sabi Sands, South Africa