Looking to get the absolute best shots possible, I had made a big fuss about getting us an open-air Jeep with no doors and no sides. And that’s exactly what we got— a vehicle with about as much protection as a parade float. 😝

The driver swung us around to this leopard the way you might pull the car around for a friend that was waiting to be picked up. “Hop in,” is what it looked like we were trying to say.

I immediately regretted a lot of the choices I’d made, not just about our vehicle selection but also about the words I had chosen to use with the tracker, for communicating just exactly what it was I wanted to happen regarding this leopard.

Once we pulled up to the leopard, I tried to make myself as small as possible while simultaneously retreating to the other side of the Jeep, farthest away from the giant cat.

It occurred to (me in hindsight) that my retreat to the other side of the Jeep might have looked a little bit like I was trying to use my friend Jody as a human shield (sorry Jody! 😂😂), but obviously everything worked out okay in the end. 😉