It's official - I've added leopard spotting to my rather odd list of talents. Not so strange you might think - given that we're living in Rajasthan, the land where big cats surely just roam the streets. We all know that tiger numbers are alarmingly low in India - somewhere around the 1400 mark, which may sound a lot - but it isn't. We've heard stories of Sariska with its failing breeding programme, tourists disappointed with a lack of tiger on their tiger safari and perhaps most bizarrely, importing cheetahs from Syria to live in Jaisalmer. Of all places. But the humble leopard seems to have slipped off the radar, perhaps because it's so shy and retiring - or simply that their PR company isn't up to the job. Well, at Wire we've completely fallen in love with this underrated and under-represented species and have decided to do something about it. With a little help our course.

It's quite typical in Rajasthan that you hear, via-via about a man-who-can. It's not so often that the man-who-can actually does. We were in Ranakpur last week and got a call from our assistant, alleging that the "leopard man" had been identified, tracked down - and (gasp) that two days later he'd take us out on a safari. Perhaps not the average conversation you have with a colleague, but it left us reeling.  After disappointments, then eventually seeing a tiger at Ranthambore, we knew how the excitement would mount - literally up to the moment when we would get in the jeep. But this was different...a real life leopard.

If you believed most of the signs around the state, you'd come to the conclusion that leopard were ten-a-penny here. Rest assured, they're not. We've searched high and low, including an unaccompanied adventure in to Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary in the vain hope of seeing one of these legendary beasts. So when it actually happens, you're rendered slightly speechless. Thakur Devi Singh - the leopard expert, navigated us around a rocky outcrop with a deftness that belies his advanced years. At one point it felt like being on a white-knuckle ride as we careened across the bumpy terrain to a possible sighting before the light finally faded. We made it in time, and albeit at a distance (because of the time of year) we saw a leopard lounging on a rock near its lair. Even from afar you can't help but be thoroughly captivated - the way it moves, its relaxed appearance and sheer beauty.

Only once you have seen one in the wild, can you begin to understand Devi Singh's passion, bordering on obsession with leopard. His efforts to preserve and observe these cats are admirable. When the leopard on his land get hungry - lunch is on Devi, as he compensates local farmers for the loss of their livestock. To them "his" leopard kills their cattle and without his intervention cases of poisoning of leopard would without a doubt be much higher than they are currently.

I could write for hours about the fantastic evening we spent with Devi Singh (before I move on to his wife's fabulous cooking) but actually, you'll just have to come to Rajasthan and experience it firsthand. I'm extremely pleased that we can offer our clients this magical experience and a chance to uncover of the beauty of Ranakpur and its surrounding areas. Next time I need a break from the office, I know where I'll be heading...