These two healthy Impala were part of a relatively large herd that I photographed near the Tarangire River in the Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Africa. Tarangire is a beautiful place with valleys of tall savannah trees, lush undergrowth, and tall grass. It seemed a bit like the Garden of Eden.
We had briefly seen a leopard in the area, and the Impala herd was a little agitated and carefully keeping watch for the leopard. Shortly after taking this photograph, the leopard leapt out of the grass, quickly pounced on one of the Impala, and just a quickly, they both disappeared into the tall grass. The herd, scattered a bit, regrouped around the young, and waited for a minute before reluctantly moving away.
We quietly stayed in the area and watched for signs of the leopard. After about half an hour of waiting, we spotted the leopard in a large nearby tree resting after the kill. It was interesting to see how quickly all the animals reacted and likewise how quickly they relaxed and went back to normal.
Michael Fuchs Photography 