This whole thing is so fluid. I never know what is going to happen next. I love that...
Sexual maturity (Asa's that is, not mine) was always go to play a part in this rewilding experiment. The last few hours may have just confirmed that.
I arrived at Leopard Camp mid afternoon yesterday, the sun already deciding to commit to its last rays. I wasn't surprised to find Asa sitting on top of my enclosure (it used to be his but is now a tent in a cage) and he looked superb, a strong regal young leopard. We greeted each other with an ease and understanding born of how much we have been through with each other for over ten months now. I had four kilograms of meat which Asa soon devoured but not so urgently that would indicate he was overly hungry. I then watched bemused as some cheeky crows tried to steal the scraps which meant some very close encounters with an athletic leopard that made me laugh out loud.
Asa and I then wandered to a spot further along the ridge, the only place nearby where I can get a reasonable phone signal. He sat next to me as the evening came in, there seemed to be a knowing about him and the comfort he took in our company combined with his strong confidence gave me a good sense of peace. We headed back to camp and the role reversal that has been in place many weeks now of me being caged and the young leopard being free outside in the night jungle took place again.
It was a really cold long night and I was happy with the hint of light and steaming mugs of coffee in the pre-dawn. It was the first time Asa and I had hunted together for several days and the half hearted efforts to catch a barking deer the night before, due to his full stomach, I knew were not a pre-cursor to these early hours of the day when his senses would be keener.
They were and so were mine. Our early morning hunting expeditions have been times I will never forget, raw and primal. Trekking through the Himalayan jungle with a leopard, as rays of light sift through ancient trees, it is truly being alive. The sheer sharpening of the edges of one's being make all the physical efforts worth it.
We got to over 2800m in altitude and I could sense Asa being very content. There has been more human movement in the jungle than usual lower down, a lot of bamboo collection. Asa does not like this, it agitates him, he's never been overly fond of people. This was the main reason I was keen to trek high this morning.
We came into an area of dense jungle, vines and thorns making the going not easy. Like Asa I was enjoying it however, it is something we share, the more challenging the terrain the more we like it. I was not surprised when the strong scent of leopard urine spray greeted me in a small gulley. I wondered quickly if it was Asa's but his reaction with a low rumbling growl made me realize it could well be the signal from a female leopard we know has been in the area. I searched for more sign and soon found scrapings on a tree at about a height which suggested a young adult leopard had certainly been there very recently.
Asa's interest was high. His growling continued and he then wandered over to me bumping into my leg, his way of saying hello but also sometimes goodbye. He then wandered off into the foliage, his wonderful languid big cat walk taking him into deep jungle.
He was gone.
These moments when Asa leaves me in these wild places fill me with joy. This is exactly how it is supposed to be for a leopard, being free to decide his actions. When I watch him move away like this, wild and natural, my smile on my face and in my heart is immeasurable.
I will return to the location in a few days. Watch this space. Cheers Jack.
