This story is from our 1st full day at Shinde Footsteps, a Ker & Downey Botswana location in the Okavanga Delta.

Late in the day, with quickly fading light, our guide stopped in front of a tree where a leopard sat, resting peacefully on part of the trunk about 20 feet (a guess) off the ground. Below her sat the kudu she killed 2-3 days before, looking gruesome and still rather large.

Great pics ensued, my favorite was this one:

As we watched, she slowly walked down the tree and sat next to her kill.

She nibbled a bit, looked around, looked up, grabbing the kill, shifting it around… Still we waited, cameras mostly down due to the low light, phones available for any unique moments to come.

And then she attempted to carry her kill up the tree. This would ensure she’d get every last drop of meat from the bones before surrendering it to the various members of the clean-up crew (hyenas, vultures, etc.).

The first 15 seconds are the best part of this video – watch closely!

She was so determined, and so close, but ultimately a knot / extrusion on the tree prevented her from achieving her goal.

The next day, the kill was gone and she had moved on. We found her up in another tree and stopped to photograph.

With no kill nearby, she didn’t stay long. Coming down from the tree, she jumped off and walked away.