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In Touch with Nature – Leopards

Posted: March 25, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Animals, In Touch With Nature, Nature, Photography, Poetry, Wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , |78 Comments

Introduction and fun facts

Leopards are my husband’s favourite animal. They are very difficult to see in the wild because they are nocturnal, they are rare, and they are solitary. The best game reserve in South Africa to see leopards is Sabi Sands and this is where we went for our wedding anniversary last year to finally get good sightings of leopards.

We were at the reserve for 48 hours and went on 4 game drives during that time. We had two wonderful sightings of leopards. The first was of a mother and her juvenile youngster. The second was of the father.

Here are a few initial facts about leopards:

  1. Most leopards are light coloured and have dark spots called rosettes on their fur. There are also black leopards which also have spots, but the spots are hard to see against their dark fur. Black leopards are called melanistic leopards;
  2. Leopards are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, Northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China;
  3. Unlike lions, leopards are extremely solitary animals and they mark their territory with scratches, urine, and feces to warn other leopards to stay away;
  4. The only time you’ll see two adult leopards together in a single territory is if they are a male and female looking to mate;
  5. Leopards can achieve a running speed to nearly 60 kilometers per hour and can leap up to 6 meters forward;
  6. Leopards make a wide variety of sounds from coughing to growling. Leopards also purr when they are happy;
  7. Leopards carry their prey into trees to eat. Leopards eat a wide variety of animals from monkeys to rodents to birds to antelopes. Leopards also eat cheetah cubs;
  8. Leopards have very long tails to help them balance when climbing, running or changing direction;
  9. Leopards have specially adapted retinas that enable them to hunt in the pitch black of the jungle; and
  10. The English name ‘leopard’ emans ‘spotted lion’ in Latin.

Gallery and You tube videos

The gallery below sets out some of the photographs I took of a female leopard.

Picture captions: The pictures in the gallery above are of a female leopard. Her kill had fallen from the tree and she was picking at the remains. She then went up the tree and was resting on a branch and cleaning herself just like a house cat. The last picture is a dead baby zebra in a tree. It was dragged up there by a leopard which then left it to go and get a drink of water. It was a very tiny zebra so a little sad but leopards have to eat.

This is my You tube video of the leopard nibbling on its kill:

This is my You tube video of the female leopard grooming herself in the tree:

Leopard in a Tree – artwork

Picture caption: Leopard in a Tree – original charcoal artwork by Robbie Cheadle.

The Watcher (freestyle)

Dear Ranger

I am sorry

I didn’t oblige you

And make an appearance

For your paying guests.

You can’t blame me

For being wary

Of people.

After all

The guest farm

Right next door

Allows canned hunting

By wealthy tourists.

The lions are bred

And raised by hand

In captivity

Then,

Their caregivers

Release them

Into a caged enclosure

To be hunted down

As trophies.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Leopards are not spared

This barbaric treatment

Although fewer of us

Are murdered this way

Our dead heads removed

To grace the walls

Mouths gaping open

In a humiliated grimace

Called a fierce pose

By the false hunters.

Run off our traditional land

By grasping humans

Who have the right

To life and liberty,

Freedom from slavery

And torture,

Freedom of opinion

And expression,

The right to work

And to education.

What about me?

Here in the reserve

I’m relatively safe

Provided I don’t follow

My natural instincts

To travel and

Stay within the fences

Built by you

I know you’re a good one

But frankly,

It still grates me.

Then you bring

Truckloads of visitors

Who chatter

Point

And gawk

While rattling chip packets

And taking photographs.

SNAP! RATTLE! SNAP!

Nothing is sacrosanct,

You invade

Every part

Of my life

… Eating

… Sleeping

… Mating

My babies

Fodder

For prattling spectators

Hooing and cooing

Making fools of themselves.

And so, I hide

Deep within

The long grass

Or up high

In a tree,

Dreaming away

The long, quiet days.

Sometimes

I shake a whisker

Or twitch an ear

Sending the viewers

Into a frenzy

Hopefully anticipating

A leopard sighting

I lie

And grin

Thinking

And now

Who’s watching

Who?

From

The Leopard in the tree

The artwork and poem above are extracted from my poetry collection, Square Peg in a Round Hole available from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Square-Peg-Round-Hole-Creativity-ebook/dp/B0CW1H3SQV

Picture caption: Cover of Square Peg in a Round Hole by Robbie Cheadle

About Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Picture caption: Robbie Cheadle author photograph 2025

Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).

Roberta is also the author and illustrator of seventeen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of four poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.

Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5

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This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.

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78 Comments on “In Touch with Nature – Leopards”

  1. In Touch with Nature – Leopards – Robbie's inspiration says:
    March 25, 2026 at 4:02 am

    […] In Touch with Nature – Leopards […]

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Darlene's avatar Darlene says:
    March 25, 2026 at 4:08 am

    Leopards are amazing creatures. Your poem is sad and meaningful.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. marianbeaman's avatar marianbeaman says:
    March 25, 2026 at 5:02 am

    The travesty of hunting leopards as trophies s expressed so well in your poetry and pictures. Of course, the art is amazing, Robbie!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Esther Chilton's avatar Esther Chilton says:
    March 25, 2026 at 5:08 am

    Such a stunning poem, great pictures and interesting facts.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Ephemeral Encounters's avatar Ephemeral Encounters says:
    March 25, 2026 at 5:22 am

    Robbie thank you for sharing this post.
    Leopards are beautiful animals🤗
    Your poem says it so well !
    Hunting for pleasure 😪 rather than the necessity to eat appalls me.
    Your art is stunning and I loved your photographs .
    Thanks again.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Dave Astor's avatar Dave Astor says:
    March 25, 2026 at 6:59 am

    Fascinating post, Robbie, that has it all leopard-wise — interesting information, your terrific artwork, and your poignant poetry.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. John W. Howell's avatar John W. Howell says:
    March 25, 2026 at 8:49 am

    I loved your poem, Robbie. An ex friend of mind sent me a Christmas card with a photo of he and a dead lion that he shot. On a reserve no less. That was it for me. Your art is beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Author Jan Sikes's avatar Author Jan Sikes says:
    March 25, 2026 at 10:25 am

    These photos (and painting) are stunning! What gorgeous creatures. And what a shame they are hunted mindlessly. Your poem says it all, Robbie.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. D.L. Finn, Author's avatar D.L. Finn, Author says:
    March 25, 2026 at 10:39 am

    Amazing photos and artwork, Robbie. I lo e leopards too and loved learning more about them. Great poem catching their point of view. Xo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. Unknown's avatar In Touch with Nature – Leopards – Patty's Worlds says:
    March 25, 2026 at 1:09 pm

    […] I love this. Thanks Robbie. https://writingtoberead.com/2026/03/25/in-touch-with-nature-leopards/ […]

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. Liz Gauffreau's avatar Liz Gauffreau says:
    March 25, 2026 at 1:12 pm

    Your photo of the female leopard are just gorgeous. What a beautiful animal! I don’t blame leopards for not wanting any part of humans. Hopefully, they are no longer hunted for their coat.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  12. Cindy Georgakas's avatar Cindy Georgakas says:
    March 25, 2026 at 1:14 pm

    Oh your letter to the rangers from the leopards is heartfelt Robbie. Sad too for the little zebra but sigh… nature. I won’t or will be looking up if I visit for sure. It always maddens me the game hunting. xo🤗🥹💕

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. memadtwo's avatar memadtwo says:
    March 25, 2026 at 7:02 pm

    Great photos Robbie. I did not realize they were solitary, but I knew they were fast. (K)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. Annette Rochelle Aben's avatar Annette Rochelle Aben says:
    March 26, 2026 at 5:05 am

    I would love a leopard as a friend!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  15. beetleypete's avatar beetleypete says:
    March 26, 2026 at 5:58 am

    Your Leopard artwork is amazing, Robbie. Thanks for teaching us more about Leopards, and for the photos and videos. Shared on Twitter.

    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. Jennie's avatar Jennie says:
    March 27, 2026 at 6:23 pm

    Oh, what a powerful poem, Robbie. Your leopard drawing is outstanding. I didn’t know leopards ate in trees. Thank you for this post.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  17. acflory's avatar acflory says:
    March 28, 2026 at 12:54 am

    Jaw dropping photos, Robbie! I love leopards too, all cats in fact, and I am so envious of you actually seeing some in the wild. I’m a bit in awe of your courage as well. Thanks for sharing these unique experiences!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. Teri Polen's avatar Teri Polen says:
    March 30, 2026 at 6:32 am

    Leopards are so beautiful, and your photos are fantastic, Robbie – but I couldn’t look at the last one with the zebra. I know they have to eat, but it makes me sad.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  19. dgkaye's avatar dgkaye says:
    March 30, 2026 at 7:52 pm

    Powerful poem Robbie. And this post was very enlightening to learn about leopards. And your artwork is so well detailed. 💜

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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