Time spent with Asa these days is a mixed blessing. His physical strength is such that I walk away from a couple of hours with him feeling like I've just played a rugby game against a team with claws. The rush through the undergrowth acts like an early warning system. Usually there is no time to get out of the way but my arm in the right place means sometimes I can deflect the young leopard. Even then it's a hard hit, I'm getting battered and bruised.
I'm wary of his power but also his attitude. Recent events meant Asa dropped down to the area near Leopard Camp and he has claimed that territory. I have to judge carefully how my place in this area fits. He has to understand that I am still dominant but I also need to allow him to be as instinctual as possible.
It's a fine balance and you can tell by the look on his face in the close up image that there is an edge between us. That edge has always been there but is now more pronounced as this leopard grows into the confident feline he needs to be to survive.
A change of habitat is imminent. At the moment the appropriate people are in contact and as I've put in an email out, a long held vision is being fast tracked into action. I'll blog about this within the next day or two.
