She lives in the Central Kenyan village of Moiben with her husband and six children. In the morning, when I saw a tiny gray kitten curled around her ankle, I felt immediately comfortable with her. We sat down to talk, and I asked her my usual questions about wildlife. No wild animals here, not since our grandfathers time. But there was a leopard that came through when I was a little girl.
People still talk about it.
Wow, I thought. That was over 30 years ago. Of all the African cats, Leopards are the stealthiest, most clever, and the strongest for their size. Leopards are also the best tree climbers. They have to be, to keep their kills safe from lions and hyenas, who would try to steal the meat.