The Best Moment

By

Miha Alam

It was not a good day to venture out on a safari at Yala wild life sanctuary, as it was hot and an unusually humid day. We were sitting in an open jeep in the middle of the day and my exhaustion was aggravated by the heat which was at its peak. The scorching sun was beating mercilessly with heat penetrating our skins causing rivers of sweat rolling down all over.  Away from all the luxuries of resting in air-conditioned hotel room and being forced to appreciate the huge oak trees and the wild life, was not the life I was accustomed to. I felt wretched imagining  my friends having a gala time on the beach with surfing and swimming in the fresh ocean waves and obviously cracking hilarious jokes. Here was I, dressed up in obnoxious clothes, covered in dust and observing the jungle all around for those elusive wild animals who also probably had decided to stay away and rest in cooler places. I looked at my wild life enthusiast family, as expected; their eyes were glued on their surroundings. They were into their intellectual talks “god’s creation vs. science”.

All of a sudden there was a hush sound in our group. I looked in the direction where everybody was looking. And Lo! I could not believe my eyes. There was a family of beautiful spotted Leopards camouflaged within the dense trees and the sandy soil just a few feet away from our jeep. The big cat was enjoying her lunch and was busily munching on its prey. With great ease, she ripped apart the head of the prey.  The three most adorable looking cubs were playing nearby. Then she glanced at us and snarled ferociously and that was when I observed her innocent eyes. An exotic shade, yellow around the outside and then calm shades of green and blue.  Her cubs were approaching towards us but she leaped, picked up the cubs in her jaw and stepped back. She kept her protective pose with her magnificent body upright with “you better not mess with me” look. I had never seen an animal at such a close distance. People around me were busy taking photographs of the Leopard family but I was too thrilled and stunned to do anything. I was totally mesmerized by the beauty of the moment.

Those five minutes made my day. The whole experience changed my outlook completely and overnight I became an ardent nature lover.  I will always treasure these moments in my entire life. Since then I always look forward to go on jungle safaris and visit wild life sanctuaries.