There are quite a few unforgettable moments involving wild-living cats for me. The most important ones perhaps include the first time I locked eyes with a wild lion at close range, on foot in Mana Pools. The first leopard I spotted myself in the wild, on the road between Sankuyo and Mababe in the Okavango. The moment two sub-adult ocelots lay down metres from me at night, in a dark forest along Rio Aquidauna in Brazil. Kneeling between calafate shrubs in Torres del Paine National Park, as a gorgeous female puma on morning patrol strode straight past me so close that my camera wouldn't be able focus. Or the African wildcat at midnight south of Aousserd, not far from the border between Western Sahara and Mauritania: a young individual who may have never before seen humans on foot. And, of course, Giza Mrembo, the melanistic female leopard calling Laikipia Wilderness her home.​​​​​ - 

 

I could continue with tigers and leopards in India. With Brazil's jaguars. The Iberian lynx. Cats stalking, and several stunning and exhilarating hunts, failed or successful. 

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Experiencing such moments is wonderful for any wildlife traveller and conservation expert. Being able to photographically document and share them here is a special privilege. There is a list, of course. Observations and photographic results I would like to make in the future. With a bit of luck and a lot of patience, this gallery will further expand over time!