(Almost) Urban Leopards of Jhalana

When we say “Urban Leopards”, we usually mean leopards which stray into the cities – which still happens every year across India. But in this post, I wanted to remember a sanctuary which is still wild, free, but very very close to the hustle and bustle of our cities – Jhalana Wildlife Sanctuary.

In the winter of 2022, we visited Jaipur, and took up two safaris at Jhalana. As it is super close to Jaipur, travel is not a problem at all. We kept looking for more than an hour, and finally reached a spot where a bunch of jeeps had huddled together. Through the thicket, we could faintly see some outline of a very large leopard, which we realized was a male leopard. But then, soon we saw a female leopard also, and right after that witnessed the mating action of the leopards. But then, suddenly, our driver shouted “Sir, another leopard”!!

As I turned around to see what was happening, another very handsome male leopard was walking towards us from the opposite direction. Circumstances like this is very rare, as big cats in India are usually solitary, and don’t tolerate intruders. But this new guy was not hesitant, and walked head on without any fear. Soon he entered the thicket, but by the looks of it the mating pair did not get disturbed at all – each went on its own way!

While the evening ended with some beautiful frames, the next day was much drier, with very little activity in the park. But then, late in the evening we got a tip about a leopard resting on a rock, and went to the spot. In the distant, very very far, we could see a peaceful leopard resting on a rocky hill. Somehow that beautiful habitat stayed with us as much as the hustle and bustle of busy leopards of the day before.