Leopard with its kill (1)

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Kruger National Park, South Africa

Fuji S2 digital, Nikon 80 - 400 VR

These shots were taken just after dawn, shortly after Vishnu and I entered the park - this was the first animal I saw on my first day in the park.

I hadn't yet figured out a way to set up my tripod in the safari vehicle, so these images were taken handheld with the 80-400 VR lens fully extended - the equivalent of a 500 mm lens on a film SLR.

The remains of the leopard's prey - an impala - hangs in a crotch of the tree on the right side of the image. Leopards commonly drag their kill up into a tree to protect it from hyenas and other scavengers and predators.