In Search of a Black Leopard
Ever since reading Will Burrad-Lucas’ incredible book “The Black Leopard” (go check it out, his work is truly pioneering and inspiring) I’ve been keeping my eyes open for sightings of black leopards, so that I could take my chances at seeing one myself. It’s been several years since I had my mind set on finding this melanistic version of my favourite cat in the wild, and Kenya’s Laikipia area seems to be the hotspot in Africa for this rather rare genetic mutation.
Although several black leopards have been spotted here, a specific individual has been rising to prominence in recent years: a female that has become quite habituated around humans, having grown up near a camp.
This presented what is probably the best chance since forever to see one in the wild. In mid 2025 I finally had an opportunity to visit Kenya again, owing to a planned trip to Amboseli National Park for IFAW, and so it was time to make this sighting a reality! It was also going to be a new wildlife photography experience for me, as my sister happened to join for this leg of the trip - clearly, no one can escape the allure of a black leopard.
A Black What?
At this juncture, it might be worth answering a question a few people asked me when I told them I was going to find a black leopard: “Don’t you mean a panther?” - you could be forgiven for thinking so, but actually there is no distinct species called ‘panther’. The blackness is caused by a recessive gene that causes leopards to be melanistic due to an overproduction of melanin. It needs two leopards with this recessive gene to meet and mate for a black cub to develop, making this exceedingly rare. The umbrella term panther is a colloquial description for any black big cat, and also includes black Jaguars - those can only be found in South America and look very similar to leopards, although generally a little bigger.
The journey to the lodge in Laikipia county in central Kenya was a rather short one. I had already spent a few days in the area, visiting Ol Pejeta, one of the strongholds of white and black rhinos in the world, and also home to the two last northern white rhinos on our planet - more on that in a future blog (subscribe!). The drive takes you through a number of farming areas, with an animal you’d not really expect it in Kenya: Camels. They are however kept quite frequently in the north of the country for trade and export.
The Northern 5
Another rather interesting animal we encountered on the way was one of the so-called “Northern 5”, in reference to the local version of the typical African Big 5 animals (did you know there are also the Small 5?): The Grevy’s Zebra. This species of Zebra is a little more shy and taller than the regular plains Zebra, and has thinner stripes that end at the belly. Most notably, it can be recognized by its round Mickey Mouse ears - distinctly different from the Zebras one usually sees.
A second animal that’s part of the Northern 5 is the gerenuk, a long-necked, medium-sized antelope. Frankly, I’ve also seen it in the south of Kenya, which tells you a little bit about how strict the classification of the Northern 5 might be…
Glimpses of Laikipia
As you continue deeper into the wilderness, signs of human evidence fade away, with the incredible landscapes of the area coming into focus: low-lying plains around the Ewaso Nyiro and Ewado Narok rivers, dotted with ancient dryland forest remnants and rocky ridge lines. One of the most incredible bush landscapes I’ve ever seen, more on that later…
There was however some temporary human presence in the area: during my time here, we had several encounters (sometimes visible and sometimes only audible) with the British military, which is conducting troop exercises here every year. Why they need to conduct their field work in central Kenya is anyone’s guess. Speaking to various locals, I have some rather qualified assumptions, based on the post-colonial challenges and conflicts around land leasing that have become more prominent in recent years.
After around 3h of driving we arrived at the lodge in the afternoon and had the chance to speak to the owner of the camp, Steve, who told me that the resident black leopard here has mostly been sighted in the evening. She had two cubs recently (before you ask, unfortunately they’re not melanistic, it’s a recessive trait, and either way they had barely been spotted at all so far), and has been more cautious in her outings, but also more focused on hunting to provide them with their daily meals. That means, sightings during the day would be unlikely, but on the other hand, the chances of seeing her with a kill would go up…
The good news is, we would not have to go far, the leopard’s territory is literally the hill of the camp and a small portion across the river, which she used to cross occasionally. Leopards in Laikipia have relatively small territories, owing to the amount of prey almost year-round - in fact, their ranges overlap quite closely sometimes, as we’d experience first-hand.
We stuck to a clearing near the camp and kept our eyes open, spotting a few elephants that had just come back from a dust-bath in the mineral rich brown soil of the area - some remains of their ancestors could be seen nearby.
As in many private conservancies, off-roading is possible here - and almost necessary for good sightings - and it shows on the land cruiser, which has been modified with removed doors for more freedom during photography.
Darkness arrives quickly near the equator, with a short golden and blue hour. It was my first day and I didn’t have many expectations to see a leopard, let alone a black one, but my (excellent) guides Paul & Francis were confident - our target had been seen for most days in the past week. They suggested we start to make a move through the dark paths around the camp, using the car’s lights and a dedicated lamp to see if we could spot the distinct yellow eyes of the cat - seeing her fur would be hard, given her colour (or lack thereof). We drove for around thirty minutes, more or less in circles, with a couple of other cars from the camp covering the rest of the area to increase our chances. It feels pointless to drive in circles, looking for a black cat moving quietly through the tall grass and bushes in the darkness of the endless wilderness. But this is what makes it special. And special it was.
Giza
We passed a tight curve, and she suddenly made her appearance out of nowhere, crossing the path in front of us: the elusive black leopard, Giza.
With silent but determined steps, carrying what seemed to be a hare in her mouth into the thicket, she had given me the moment I was looking for.
I was too in awe and too slow to get my camera set up for the dim light of the lamp quick enough to capture the moment, but she jumped onto a tree stump and started to devour her catch, giving me the chance to get some photos as she looked back for a moment. She was close to us, which means you could clearly make out the characteristic leopard spots on her majestic coat.
She disappeared into the tall grass once she finished her meal, and I had to catch my breath for a moment to process what happened.
Looking at my images, and learned that I had missed quite a few photos: A fast cat in the dim light of the handheld lamp, moving like a black shadow through tall grasses, really makes for some of the toughest photographic conditions you can encounter - but a few tweaks to the focus setting and exposure behavior should make things better. Now we just had to hope this would not be our only encounter…
Ghost of the Night
My concerns were unfounded. As we followed her through the thickets we could see her stalking a small antelope.
We switched off the lights and engine, and a few seconds later everything was over - a single squeak of her target, and silence again. And then she walked out of the bush, carrying her prey, most probably with the goal to feed the two cubs hidden away somewhere.
We let her wander off in peace to do just that, not wanting to attract too much attention on her, but just a few dozen meters past the car, we heard the distinct sound of two leopards in a brief altercation. We switched on the light, and just saw Giza run off into the distance, as a large male walked into the other direction, carrying her kill away.
Kijana is a strong leopard whose territory just borders Giza’s, and this was seemingly not the first time he took advantage of her predatory skills - his size and the fact Giza has cubs now makes it less likely she would risk an injury and try to fight him off. As we learned over the next days, catching another Dik-dik seems to be the far easier task for her, and it is what she did this time as well: we left her alone, but another guide told us they saw her with a fresh kill a few minutes later. What a first encounter!
One of the reasons Laikipia is such a stronghold for leopards, and why there can be multiple individuals in very close proximity with smaller territories, is the local density of these peculiar small antelopes: Dik-diks. You will see dozens every day, roaming around in the dense bush, and making alarm calls whenever they see or smell or hear something unusual - a great indicator if you’re on the lookout for predators.
Guenther's Dik-dik
The sub-species here has a rather funny looking nose, long, flexible, and bent downwards over the snout. They live monogamously, so you’ll mostly spot them in pairs - which also means that every morning you can congratulate those who didn’t turn into a widow/er the night before…
We spent the morning of day 2 exploring the area - it was unlikely that we’d see Giza again during the day, but there are plenty of leopards around. For now, rich birdlife was on the agenda, with common cuckoo, pied king fisher, bee eater, and even a nubian woodpecker among the sightings.
Laikipia is also home to the largest and probably most striking extant guinea fowl, the vulturine guinea fowl. It typically lives in flocks of about 20 birds.
Although less appreciated by birds, when it’s quiet on safari black-backed Jackals often add some entertainment - this couple was quite chilled and minding their own business though. Laikipia is home to lions, wild dogs, and also striped hyena - all animals I wouldn’t mind seeing - particularly the latter is one of the missing large mammals on my Africa list.
After lunch and an afternoon break from the heat, it was time to head out again and focus on our special black cat. The camps location on a hillside makes for a perfect viewpoint over the incredible scenery here - although it was a relatively dry year, the rainy season turned much of the landscape green. Around October, most of the region will turn brown and dusty again, with very little respite for grazing animals and a consequentially happy time for predators.
As the sun set, some of the camp team are using their binoculars from the viewpoint on the top of the hill to look for signs of Giza.
And this time it was another guide who told us she was out: just as the last light of the day faded, Giza appeared, walking casually past the front of our car - I caught a glimpse. If you look closely, this image also shows the little distinct kink at the end of her long tail, maybe a remanent of an accident, or just another idiosyncratic feature of this special animal.
“Giza Mrembo”
That’s the full name she was given after her birth a few years ago. It means “beautiful darkness” and I couldn’t think of a more suitable name.
After a few minutes of traversing the rocks and long grass, she once again started to stalk for her favourite prey, and once again, it was only a matter of minutes before a quick rustle in the bushes was followed by a high-pitched squeak. A few seconds later, the master huntress appeared with her kill.
The rhythm of the first full day became our routine: exploring the surrounding area in the morning, enjoying the scenery, see what animals we can find, before staying close to the camp and waiting for Giza’s appearance in the early evening. We got lucky and spotted her almost every day, only the rain made things difficult one night. Nightly outings in the bush are always interesting, for instance, we spotted a striped polecat, also referred to as African skunk or zorilla - hard to photograph, so you’ll have to live with this image.
Somewhat more common to see, but still an interesting nightly sighting, was this genet. Related to civets, they have a cat-like body with short legs.
Nevertheless, the daylight adventures were equally as enjoyable, for example watching these rock and bush hyraxes coming out to sunbathe in the morning. Everyone who has ever seen these has probably been told that they are the closest living relatives to elephants and assumed it’s a joke, but well, it’s not, they are.
My knowledge of birds remains very limited, but over the years I slowly began to appreciate them more and more as part of the ecosystem.
We encountered several trees with dozens of weaver nests, such as the one on the left (with soft, green grass built during the wet season) and the Village Weaver on the right, using dry branches to make its hanging nest.
A pair of speckled mousebird on the left, with their characteristic long tail, and two spurfowl to the right.
A long-tailed widowbird in breeding season with its extensive tail feathers, and what I think was a pair of spotted eagle owls, relaxing in the exposed roots of a tree on the eroding river banks.
Like many of the more rural areas that are not national parks, Laikipia is also a mix of conservancies, farmland, ranches, and community lands. That often comes with conflicts, not just among wildlife and humans, but also different interest groups. Settler descendants, investors, ranch operators, and the indigenous tribes are often at odds as to the most efficient use of the land.
Either way, it’s always useful to build a good rapport with the locals around. The herders bring their cattle and goats through parts of the conservancy, and are always on the lookout for predators - helpful for us!
We discussed a new leopard that had been spotted near the river banks in this area, and were able to observe him twice over the following days.
Spot the cat?
The first time was more of a typical encounter: from a distance across the river, in the high grass, with hours of no movement beyond a flapping ear and a quick tilt of the head. Can you see him?
But on the second encounter, this adult male put on a show for us, starting on our side of the river bank and calmly watching a heard of Impala on the other side. After a while, he decided they might be worth a closer look - but that meant crossing the river…
… and that involved a few jumps over several meters, which he made appear effortless and elegant. One reason I love cats. Unfortunately by the time he made it, the impala headed for safer grounds and he just watched them from a distance.
We followed him for a few hundred metres on the river bank, before he decided to lie down exactly in the spot where we had (barely) spotted him the day before - cat routines.
More Big Cats
After a rainy night, we spotted a few prints in the sand - clearly too big for leopards, and definitely also very big for a typical lion: these were of a massive male for sure.
The Laikipa region is in fact also home to a large number of lions, although their density in this area isn’t as high - to the benefit of the leopards. We did spot a female for a brief moment, which, as we learned, had cubs recently - but no signs of them. Admittedly, lions were not my focus.
The Young Male
Instead, the leopard encounters continued beyond Giza - their density in this area is really amazing, and in just a few days I saw more individuals than in all my previous trips throughout Africa (of which there were quite a few).
And what beautiful encounters we had, such as with this pretty young male, who posed for us for several minutes. We had hoped his mother, who is still close by, would join, and we heard a few calls but didn't manage to spot her.
He was a curious fellow, which is to be expected with young cats. On the other hand, you don’t want habituation to go too far, and it’s a fine line between animals seeing the car as being part of their environment and ignoring it, or going a step further and interacting with humans more directly, which is not desirable.
Close Encounter
Did I say he was curious?
We moved away from him at this point to not give him more opportunities to come even closer.
Laikipia Landscapes
Although nothing could top these leopard sightings, the landscapes came close. Of course, the greenery at this time of the year helped, but the combination of rocky outcrops, the river banks, gentle waterfalls, and the endless plains and bushland really made this one of my favorite African landscapes ever.
We spent one morning exploring a few of the outcrops on foot for a better view, hoping we wouldn’t get pushed off the steep ridges by a mean baboon....
Luckily that didn’t happen and we got to enjoy the sprawling plateau, encircled by some of the hills of the Great Rift Valley to the west. The scenery here could have escaped straight from Lion King - incredibly beautiful.
The seeds of some of these palm trees are carried for hundreds of kilometres through the river, before settling on the banks during periods of flood - in turn, elephants then carry their seeds further through the landscapes.
Even if you never get to see a single leopard (hopefully that won’t ever be the case) this area is worth a visit.
My guide couldn’t resist lifting the camera up to capture some of this beauty either.
The Master Huntress
At night though, only one thing was on our mind - more sightings of Giza. And we were rewarded almost every evening. Her hunting prowess and the need to bring home at least two kills to her cubs every day meant that no evening passed where we didn’t hear the characteristic squeal of a dik-dik in distress. For better or worse, it never lasted more than a few seconds, so efficient was the leopard in her attempts.
We can’t know for sure, but it may be her black coat that makes Giza a more efficient predator at night, even more difficult to spot, and reversely also the cause for her to develop a preference to hunt in complete darkness - indeed, the brown bushland is not a very suitable environment to stay undetected during the day if you look like Giza.
Patterns
In the right light and angles, her coat truly shone, literally and with its intricate black pattern.
With the Boss
On our last day we had the pleasure to be guided by Steve, the lodge owner, himself. That was a privilege, as his experience in the bush of this area is unmatched, and we also got to chat a bit about his time in Zimbabwe - for example, he happened to know the amazing Steve Edwards of Musango, and Barry of Chewore. Read about my time at their lodges, standing in dinosaur footprints (yes, for real) and taking one of my favorite images ever.
I always love being out in the bush for a walk as well, so we went for a morning trek along one of the river banks - it’s just such a different feeling compared to being in the car, and I can recommend it whenever you have the possibility.
Over the last years I’ve developed a soft spot for elephants, and Steve took us with him on foot to see this family cross the river, forcing their youngest to become a temporary submarine.
He also showed us these makeshift beehives the locals hang from trees to encourage honey production. However, this is a tricky endeavor: honey badgers often outsmart even the most stable human construction and manage to climb down the ropes and open the wooden boxes, as seems to have happened here with a few of them.
Back in the car, we decided to venture out a little further into new areas of the conservancy and beyond - only a few roads were off limits due to the military exercise: Hatari! (That’s danger in Swahili, and also the name of a classic 1962 movie with John Wayne everyone who loves Africa should watch!)
We spotted another leopard who had just hunted a hyrax - once again, observing the prey is often the best way to make out the predator. A group of rock hyrax seemed very agitated and made alarm calls, which gave away the presence of the cat. He hid in the tall grass with his meal, giving us only a brief moment to make out that he was a shy individual, less commonly seen.
Striped Hyena
We also managed to tick off another of my goals for this trip - seeing a striped hyena. They are more common in the northern half of Africa, the Middle East, and parts of India, whereas their spotted and brown cousins as well as the aardwolf (the latter two still on my list) are more frequently seen in the southern half of the continent. They are shy animals, and we had to be quite strategic to get these images before it disappeared into the bush - Steve’s knowledge of their behaviour paid off.
There are around 10,000 individuals left in the wild, primarily nocturnal and mostly observed alone or in pairs (they are monogamous), unlike the spotted variant, which is usually found in groups. They are heavily featured in folklore and mythology in the Middle East.
The Last Morning
In the early hours of my final day, we launched an attempt at finding the local pack of wild dogs - another amazing underrated African mammal species.
One of them is collared, so the radio would increase our chances of finding them. It still depends on line of sight, and with the many ravines and a dog that may be sleeping in one of them, it’s still a challenge.
Too much of a challenge for us this time, as even after several attempts we didn’t get a signal.
Instead, we were blessed with a final leopard sighting. It was a distant one, but a very interesting observation. The cat moved close to a giraffe, which watched him very carefully (although leopards don’t really pose a threat to them), and a small group of waterbuck (whose young might be a risk).
Can you spot it? It’s testament to the Steve’s observation skills that he was able to determine the presence of a leopard by the watchful alert behavior of the other animals, from several hundred meters away - while driving.
One last amazing bird sighting was this martial eagle - with a wingspan of over 2 meters and almost 1 meter in length, this is Africa’s largest eagle. An apex predator, but by now unfortunately endangered due to habitat loss.
The Queen of the Darkness
It goes cats -> leopards -> black leopards - we reached the end of the funnel of my favourite animals, it doesn’t get much better than this.
One can only hope that Giza will be with us for several years, and produce more offspring. With some luck, we might get to see a few more iterations of a beautiful darkness in the area, given the presence of the gene in the local leopard population - I’m here for it.
For now, it’s a true privilege to get to see a rare animal like this in the first place, and even more so to observe her up close. It may sound corny, but there is undeniably a certain aura around her beyond just the color of her fur, although one might be the antecedent of the other.
