Guests at the Singita Ebony lodge in the Sabi Sands game reserve in Hazyview, Mpumalanga, certainly got their money’s worth this past Sunday.

Usually, it’s the early morning or late afternoon and evening drives that land you a sighting of a leopard on the move, but sometimes all you have to do is settle in for a meal at the lodge restaurant and the cat comes to you.

Lowvelder reports that the leopard was seen stalking a bushbuck in the riverbed in front of the lodge, before a troop of vervet monkeys noisily raised the alarm.

Here’s the footage that Reg Calmeyer, of Roar Africa, coolly and calmly captured:

That’s a once-in-a-lifetime sighting if you’re lucky.

Whilst such close encounters are welcomed, certain precautions still need to be taken:

The lodge said that they strongly discouraged close wildlife encounters at any time, and have strict safety protocols in place for staff and guests should this occur naturally, as was the case with leopard.

“We are committed to managing all situations responsibly and brief and debrief guests extensively on safety around wildlife encounters at the lodge,” said public relations officer for Singita Ebony lodge Lisa Carey .

I really cannot wait to get back to the bush.

[source:lowvelder]