One year. A wild ride. A rewilded ride...
I'm down in the village for a night picking up supplies. Back up to camp tomorrow. 4 February 2014 was the day I met Asa. A year later, I'll leave him be, wild and free for the day at over 3000m, it seems appropriate. The next day I'll trek to the top with food for him. This will be the pattern for the next six weeks or so until winter relents. Three days at camp including a food drop day. Down to the village to resupply. A four day cycle. Repeat.
In three days the pattern will change slightly. For the first time in over six months I will trek to a jeep stop and catch a ride to Pokhara. A motor vehicle ride, roads, lots of people, things to do, cheese, just for a couple of days... it may be bit of a shock.
In the image the inset shows a moment in time when I was still striking a rapport with the little leopard. He was snarling at me, pissed off because I had shown him to people. It was part of the process, I needed to confirm my thinking on these matters, the bloody book goes into this. The main image is Asa two days ago, licking his lips after tasting some of the frozen lake at above 3100m. Just moments before he snarled and hissed at me. Some things never change...
I got some great images at the frozen lake, I'll get them to www.mountaintiger.photography when I can. Thanks to those getting images and I have several specials to send out and a lot of emails to answer, great support for a great leopard.
So this is just a short post with an unfortunate reality check. I've been getting information from a colleague in another part of South Asia, updated information on the leopard skin trade. This is stuff you wont see in the media where things get distorted but the news is not good. On these long dark nights in my tent I get time to think. A part of my life I thought I had partially left behind needs to be returned to. Illegal wildlife trade is a complicated, ruthless game. The fact now that the leopard has become such a focus again combined with my own circumstances where my respect for these animals has grown even more makes me even more determined to defend them.
They are worth it, very much so. Just look at that magnificent animal beside the frozen lake, that vision gives you no choice but to agree...
