Coexistence

The Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa has a rich human history that dates back to the Stone Age. For centuries, people coexisted here with leopards and a diverse range of other wildlife. Imagine it’s the 13th century. You’re a hunter-gatherer in this ancient volcanic complex and your job is to find and provide food for your community while avoiding dangerous encounters with lions, leopards, buffaloes, and elephants.

Now imagine you’re a leopard and your job is to provide food for yourself and potentially a cub or two while avoiding dangerous encounters with humans and other predators. These are some of the things that cross my mind when photographing wildlife. It sounds like a tough life either way, but this is all a part of co-existing within a healthy ecosystem.

This image tells a story of co-existence in today’s world. Where the newly defined lines of human architecture meet something as wild and unpredictable as a leopard. Well before Pilanesberg became a protected area, dam walls were built to support farming and ranching. To this day, these dams remain a vital source of life for a large population of wildlife. In this case, it was simply a shortcut for a female leopard on a territorial patrol. We may not be as immersed in nature as we once were, but we surely are still a part of it. I can only hope for us to co-exist like this in more areas around the world.

The key to making this shot possible was an understanding of the subject and its behavior. Guiding in an area for a while allows you to begin to identify and notice certain habits from different individuals. This particular leopard is very relaxed in the presence of vehicles to start, which made it easy for me to maneuver into positions without disturbing her. As she made her way towards the dam wall, I positioned myself in line with the wall in case she crossed over it, and of course, she did.