The legend of the mountain leopard
Leopards have long been regarded as a myth on the slopes of Mount Kenya. There has never been an image of a leopard sighting, which is hardly surprising considering the terrain is unsuitable for these big cats. The local tribes who used to go up the mountain for daily prayers started the myth. They were convinced that they saw ‘beasts that looked like lions on the slopes of the mountain’ on a regular basis. Local mountain guides, however, have also said that they have encountered leopards (the ‘spotted lions’) on the mountain.
“When I heard these tales I was not convinced, but that all changed when I came face-to-face with the killer cats in February 2019. ”
We arrived in Lake Michelso from Lake Ellis at around three in the afternoon. After dinner, the sun was setting on the horizon and the light was dimming as the ‘blue hour’ crept in. I am particularly enthusiastic about my photography so I promptly grabbed my camera and tripod and moseyed towards the shores of the lake looking for a picturesque shot. I set up my gear and started zooming in optically to nail a sharp focus. As I did this, I saw the tail of a catlike- figure flick right in the middle of the frame. I blinked in disbelief. I composed myself and took a second look in the viewfinder. And there it was.
A leopard walked gracefully across the frame. I hastily clicked the shutter button but, because of the darkness, the camera was set to a long exposure. This meant that anything moving would blur or worse, become completely non-existent. As I was trying to change the camera settings, I looked back and the leopard had gone.
I was suddenly engulfed with fear. I grabbed all of my camera gear and quickly ran through the thick tussock grass praying that I did not step on a leopard somewhere on the path. When I finally reached camp, the crew asked me, “What’s up Joe? You are breathing heavier than usual. Is everything okay?”
“I replied, “I’m fine guys. I just saw a leopard!” ”
They looked at me with disbelief and asked where I had seen it. Once I described the location, everyone agreed to go and check it out. We all grabbed flashlights and binoculars and ran back to the thicket. We scanned the entire area thoroughly. We looked behind every rock and hill but we could not see any signs of the leopard. Nobody saw it, except me.
Written by Joseph Miriithi