Moments with Scar

By far one of the largest leopards (Panthera pardus) on the reserve, Scar is also one of the most relaxed.  He is easily distinguishable from any other leopard on Karongwe as he has a large scar over his left eye and it’s always an exciting pleasure to come across him.

Last week we got a rather special chance sighting of him.  After the normal research drive had left base and made its way through the reserve, Andreas, on his way back from an errand to our gate, came across Scar laying at a dam only a few hundred metres away.  We gathered all the volunteers on base duty and the rest of the staff who were around, and set off to reloacted him.

Scar sat with us for a good 10 minutes, grooming and yawning before setting off on a territorial patrol down our access road.  A black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) got a little too close and Scar chased him off with a convincing stalk and charge.  It didn’t deter the jackal however.  He was joined by his mate and they continually howled and chased (at a proper distance) Scar from their vicinity.

Scar seems to be the dominant male in the southern sector of Karongwe. He featured in this blog around a year ago, shortly after the fight that gave him his massive scar above the left eye – it was so bad back then we thought he’d lost his eye! 

Kaggie Orrick

Mountain Phase Coordinator

GVI Karongwe

Moments with Scar