Raho female hunts an ostrich

It was mid-October when I left early for a morning game drive with my guests, full of hope and excitement for what the day might bring. The air was cool and fresh, and the first golden light of dawn spread gently across the plains. That morning, we set out with a clear intention, to find a leopard, the one animal my guests most wanted to see. We drove for hours, scanning the bush carefully, every flicker of movement drawing our attention. Behind me, my guests kept laughing and teasing, reminding me that the leopard was the only creature missing from their list.

Around 10:00 a.m., our patience finally paid off. I spotted the very elusive cat resting high up in a balanitis tree south of Raho Drainage. It was the well-known Raho female, the mother of Maridadi. The moment I pointed her out, the vehicle filled with joy and excitement.

As we admired this magnificent leopard, we noticed that she was watching a Thompson gazelle sleeping about 50 meters away. Unfortunately, there was no cover for her to stalk it. We sat quietly for nearly an hour, enjoying her calm beauty and hoping she might make a move or hunt. By 11:00 a.m., my guests agreed that they’d had a wonderful sighting, so we decided to return to the lodge for brunch and a rest, planning to come back in the afternoon.

At around 16:00, we went out again, headed straight back to where we had left the Raho female. When we arrived, we were completely amazed at what we saw. Right under the same tree, she had killed a full-grown female ostrich. We could hardly believe our eyes! In my 18 years of guiding here at Grumeti reserves, this was only the second time I had ever seen a leopard with an ostrich kill.

Usually, a leopard drags its kill up in a tree to keep it safe from scavengers, but this time the kill was far too large to carry. The ostrich weighs around 100 kilograms or more, while the leopard herself was only about 45 kilograms. So, she had no choice but to feed on the ground.

The next morning, we returned to see what had happened. To our surprise, she was still there with her kill under the tree. No hyenas or lions had discovered it yet. She continued eating and rested in the nearby tree, looking completely content.

On the third morning, my colleague visited the same spot and found that scavengers had finally located the carcass. The Raho female was still nearby, her belly full, resting peacefully in the tree and enjoying the cool morning breeze.

It was a breath-taking and unforgettable experience. Nature never stops amazing us, imagine a leopard weighing just 45 kilograms managing to bring down a bird almost three times her size. Truly remarkable!