A LEOPARD DIARY

A gifted animal photographer records encounters with a wild leopard and her offspring.

Along with personal reactions and memories, Eszterhas offers hints of how a wildlife photographer gets the money shots (“After a couple hours, we heard rustling sounds at the den”) as she distills “thousands of photos” into a few dozen. Eszterhas made a series of visits to the Jao Reserve in Botswana, over time observing two different litters from the same mother (known as the Camp Female). With help from Kambango Sinimbo, a local guide who contributes to a closing Q&A about his work, the author not only catches the mother leopard both in majestic repose and gracefully slinking out to hunt, but also patiently grooming her cubs and even in midair when a branch on which she’s lounging suddenly snaps. And, besides tracking the growing cubs as they tussle at various ages, Eszterhas treats readers to views of one helpless newborn cannily stashed for a while in the camp’s bathroom to keep it safe from predators and an older one plopped down on a comfy bed of elephant poop. Shots of the camp and of elephants and other occasional wild visitors add color. Kambango, who is Black, and the author, who is White, both appear in photos in the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Fascinating reading and viewing for younger prey—er, animal lovers.