Sabre, the leopard cub!

As many of you know, I have been going to Zimbabwe every year because I love it there and have many friends now, and I like to help out and invest in conservation interests. Each year I always have some very special experience. This past year I had the distinct privilege to get to know a leopard cub and nurse him back to health. I was told about this cub, and I went to meet him. He was just a couple of months old, so fairly small, very spotty, and very adorable, but very lethargic and traumatized over his injury. He had a broken leg. The veterinarians had put a metal post in his leg to try and mend the bones together. It was very awkward for the cub to deal with this post in his leg.

A lot of medicine for humans and animals is not always the best or the most up-to-date because they do not have all the equipment, access to medicines, etc., to do the same type of job we might be able to do here. But all these people are very dedicated and try to do their very best.

This leopard cub's name was Sabre. I fell in love with this cub at first sight. What a delight and privilege to get to know this cub. I sat around him for the first few days, letting him get to know me. I would pet him on occasion, try to hold him and pet him. He really needed the extra attention. They have pretty soft fur, and they are very spotty, too. And when the fur was shaved around the broken-leg area, all the skin is spotty too. So, the markings are skin deep! I also fed him with an IV sugar-water and a liquid chicken mix to try and help him keep his strength up. While I did this, he lay quietly in my arms and we bonded.

It was very worrying to see this cub so ill from a broken bone. Everyone thought he was going to die. I stayed with him eight hours, ten hours a day. Soon we were the best of friends. His spirits soon lifted, and soon he was scampering about, greeting me. He knew who I was. Every morning he started by coming out from hiding, and it was obvious that he was so happy to see me. He came straight for me, grabbing my leg with his paw.

I sat down with him in the grass, played with him, watched him play by himself. He plopped himself beside me, and eventually, I felt I could do anything with him. I positioned him on top of my chest while I stretched out on my back on the grass, and let him sleep there. He slept in my lap while I sat Indian style, and also in my arms. He, on occasion, did take little nips and grab my clothes and pull them! He also liked to climb all over me. This cat exhibited so much intelligence, and knew I was his friend.

A month went by and he looked so much better put on weight, his fur shiny, and his eyes sparkly. His energy and spirit were back. He started eating raw meat, solid food, and he played in a big garden. He hid in the bushes. There was no use trying to find him -- I tried to find him, and never did because his camouflage was so perfect. I could have my hand and eyes right about on him and still not see him!

If I called for him, he'd poke his head out and come over to me! I just loved when he did this, and just like a domestic cat, he'd rub up against me with his long spotted tail swirling about me. One day while he was stretched out all over me, I counted all the spots on his body, and he had near 3,000, 500 alone all over his head!

He recovered well, became very energetic, and his leopard spirit was completely intact. He played with a lion cub his same age, and two dogs, and fit in well with his beloved African family. His future is in captivity because he cannot be in the wild, but his life is enriched around those who love him and are his friends.

He made a great impression on me, so much so that I have a picture of him inside a locket that my husband bought for me just for this purpose. And I have a swatch of his fur as a souvenir, too!

Laura Walker
Zoo Docent ‘2000