The Silent Shadow

[Shyamala Kumar]

This was a very unexpected encounter . Nobody had sighted a leopard for the last three years in Dubare wild life sanctuary .Towards the end of the so called game drive which was practically empty ,on the way back to the camp, we heard the continuous call of a peacock .We stopped and then unbelievably we saw this magnificent male crouching on the ground on the right side of the road in the bushes .He had probably just crossed over, and the sound of our approaching vehicle had made him sink down in frozen immobility .Then as we watched, he moved away into the forest on his haunches without once rising from the ground all the while keeping an eye on us . Nikon D750,70-200, ISO 2500 ,1/2000s F/3.5 ,very late in the evening .

[V S Sankar]

Nice bit of drama captured on camera.It is always fantastic to see a Leopard crouching and moving stealthily.

Regards

V S Sankar

[Mrudul Godbole]

Very lucky sighting. Good you got its eyes in clear even through the dense vegetation in the foreground. The shiny coat and the rosettes are striking. As said by Sankarji, you could observe the stealth behavior of the leopard. Thanks for sharing.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

That's how one finds a leopard. Stealth is their main weapon. However, they have superb strength and can lift massive weights up into the tree. Its coat nicely matches with the leaves and the dark tree and rocks. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Subhash Shrivastava]

Great shot. Your extra ordinary luck with Leopards is not showing any sign of waning. :-) .
Thanks for sharing.