Leopards are solitary and elusive, often melting into the landscape unless they climb. In the trees, they find refuge from larger predators, escape the heat, and gain a commanding view of their world. I came across this large male sprawled over the limbs of an old tree in Kenya’s Segera Conservancy, his golden coat glowing in the afternoon light. The conservancy sits on the Laikipia Plateau, part of a vital wildlife corridor linking Mount Kenya to the Great Rift Valley. In a region teeming with life, protected pathways like this are critical not only for leopards, but for the health of the entire ecosystem.