After a 45-minute delayed entry into afternoon safari, by the time we entered the famed territory, where many a dramas have unfolded with the legendary tigress “Maya” we noticed cars scattered about, waiting for some action! We decided to hold on to our spot, as if required we could move forward but we couldn’t reverse or come back on the one way road.
We heard the alarm call and there were few spotted deer busy grazing, looking towards the area from which the calls were coming. We were trying to figure out Maya Madam’s stage appearance, and 10-minutes into the scene to our complete astonishment, a female leopard just pops up gets the deer fawn amidst all the surprised deer and started walking with the fawn towards our car through the foliage and then with one swift climbed the tree with the trophy. The helpless mother deer stood there motionless. We realized we witnessed one of the raw part of nature and later on in the next few days this very leopardess made three more kill which probably signals she is about to go into labour.
When we matched the spots it seems that she was the star leopard sighted at the beginning of the season, kuhipat to navegaon road.
Pic Credits: Ranjit Mandal
10th Feb 2021, PM Safari, Kolara Core, Tadoba
