When hunting the big five African game animals, the leopard remains a firm favorite of dangerous game hunters worldwide. The leopard is considered an exceptional trophy and remains one of the most popular cats to target during a game hunting safari.

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the Big 5 hunted in Africa, along with the lion, rhino, elephant, and Cape buffalo. The Dangerous 7 include the Big 5, Nile crocodile, and the rhinoceros. Hunting and harvesting any of these magnificent animals remains extremely difficult and is often seen as a rite of passage for seasoned hunters during a hunting safari.

The leopard’s home and habitat range from grasslands and savannahs to dense vegetation and mountainous terrain, but they thrive best in large expanses with plenty of prey. Being nocturnal, they spend most of their days resting and camouflaging in caves, bushes, or up trees, and you can consider yourself lucky should you spot them during daylight hours. Countries such as Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Mozambique remain popular choices for hunting leopards in Africa.

Their diet consists of numerous prey options, depending on what is available. A leopard is an opportunistic hunter who will feast on whichever prey is abundant at the time and quite capable of killing prey larger than themselves. Depending on season and what is in abundance, a leopard’s diet can include:

• Fish 
• Reptiles 
• Baboons
• Warthogs 
• Antelope such as impala, springbok, and wildebeest

When hunting Big Five African animals (leopard hunting) and comparing the leopard with other big game, you will note that they are exceptional and cunning hunters, taking down prey between 40-175 pounds with ease. Leopards are nocturnal and do most of their hunting at night while spending the daylight hours resting and sleeping.

Their hunting technique involves getting as close to the prey as possible by ambushing or stalking it. Once the leopard is close enough to its target, it gives chase at an impressive speed of up to 37 miles per hour before silencing it with a bite to the neck area.

Leopards are very athletic and have an extraordinary climbing ability, which they use to carry their prey to trees and store it, to avoid scavengers such as hyenas and even lions.