There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
Location: SW MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD
(11 sightings)
The Rock Drift Male may very well have given up on the southern parts of the territory, which he patrolled up until a few months ago. With his daughter, the Jakkalsdraai Female, in much of this area and mating with the Hlarulini Male, what incentive does the Rock Drift Male have to try and keep it? And, with the Short Tail Male in the north on the decline and the Ngoboswan Female courting the Rock Drift Male, there's good reason to actively expand into these parts.
Sightings this month suggested that this is definitely what is happening; the Hlarulini Male leopard is moving north, entering areas once patrolled by the Rock Drift Male and the Rock Drift Male is concentrating on areas of western Mala Mala, territory controlled by the Ngoboswan Female and once controlled by the Short Tail Male.
The Rock Drift Male was seen mating with the Ngoboswan Female this month, a marathon event of six days which was preceded by an aggressive encounter between the Rock Drift Male and the Short Tail Male. The two male leopards were seen to meet just south of the causeway on NW Mala Mala, in the heart of what was Short Tail Male territory. No vicious fighting was seen (although the Short Tail Male did have a wound on his hip when the two leopards were found) and the two leopards simply postured and growled at one another and at one stage were only metres apart. The mating of the Ngoboswan Female and Rock Drift Male in mid-January follows what was almost certainly the loss of the Ngoboswan Females litter sired by the Rock Drift Male after the two mated in mid-September. Indications are that the Ngoboswan Female gave birth in late December, but must have lost whatever cubs were born almost immediately, goodness knows how.
Whilst the Ngoboswan Female and Rock Drift Male were mating, they shared at least two kills, one a bushbuck, the other an impala, the latter consumed on the last day that the two were together. A hyaena made off with much of this kill and, when the Rock Drift Male was feeding off the last of the scraps up in a Marula Tree, some elephants came by and were clearly upset by the leopard. But he paid them hardly any heed, even when a bull thrashed about the bushes and nearly reached out to touch him with its trunk.
February 2004
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: SW MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD
(7 sightings)
The Rock Drift Male had an interesting month; of the 7 sightings of this leopard during the February report-period, 6 were of him together with the Ngoboswan Female, mating. Each of these matings appeared to have been marathon events, the first seeing the two together for five days and the last, towards months end, for perhaps as long as 7 days. That means over one third of the Rock Drift Male's month tied up in matings with the Ngoboswan Female!
*This image is copyright of its original author
*This image is copyright of its original author
The very last sighting of the Rock Drift Male towards months end was of him together with the Ngoboswan Female on what must almost certainly have been the very last day of their last mating session. The two leopards were on western Flockfield and sharing the remains of an impala kill when the Short Tail Male, the Rock Drift Males' old adversary, arrived on the scene. Five days before this, when the Rock Drift Male and Ngoboswan Female had probably just started this particular series of matings, the Short Tail Male had been seen investigating an area which the two had just left and then moving off in the direction taken by the mating pair. Perhaps he had been shadowing them all the while, hoping to win back the Ngoboswan Female which, up until recently, has been 'his' rather than the Rock Drift Males'. Far from running from the Rock Drift Male, which has for the last half-year or so been dominating him, the Short Tail Male moved in and fed from the kill once the other two leopards had eaten. And, surprisingly, the Rock Drift Male did nothing to stop him. In fact, if anything, the Rock Drift Male was the submissive of the two and this in an area considered to be deep within Rock Drift Male territory!
So, what is happening? Was the Rock Drift Males' subservience real or was it merely the result of a temporary loss of power, this following a week of mating? Or, has the Short Tail Males' relative lack of activity over the past few months been an opportunity for him to recover some strength and with this strength is a recovery of confidence too? Interesting times ahead for these two veterans!
The only sighting of the Rock Drift Male without the Ngoboswan Female occurred in early February, soon after the first mating event of the month had ended for him and the Ngoboswan Female. On this occasion, the male leopard was found sleeping near the lower parts of the Kapen River and that evening set out on what appeared to be a combination hunting/ scent-marking patrol. However, just before he started out, one of his old mates, the Kapen Female, arrived, but didn't give herself away to the Rock Drift Male. She had just finished off a large meal and appeared to be patrolling this southern tip of her territory, but was certainly not keen on letting the Rock Drift Male know that she was there. Once the male had moved off, the Kapen Female followed, walking almost the same path just taken by her mate. When she caught up with him, or at least when she was within eyesight of him, she turned away, again making sure that he didn't spot her. Both leopards then went their separate ways.
March 2004
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: NE FLOCKFIELD
(1 sighting)
Surprisingly, there was but a single sighting of the Rock Drift Male this month, and this towards the beginning of March when he was found, together with another male leopard, on NE Flockfield, an area considered to be at the very eastern extreme of the Rock Drift Males' territory. The other male leopard was atop a termite mound, surrounded by a herd of buffaloes, and bolted right through the middle of them. It was never established whether the leopard was afraid of vehicles, the buffaloes and/ or the Rock Drift Male.
And not only were there no further sightings of the Rock Drift Male, but there were few, if any, good signs around to indicate that he was up and patrolling his territory. Granted, rainy conditions during the month and the lush vegetation didn't help with finding leopards, but the Rock Drift Male was certainly conspicuous with his absence.
April 2004
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ NE FLOCKFIELD (12 sightings)
Compared with last month, the Rock Drift Male was seen frequently and delivered some particularly fine viewing. But it was also a testing month, one which saw what simply must be chinks appearing in the armour of invincibility which has characterised this leopard for at least the last five years.
The first sighting of the Rock Drift Male over this report-period was of him on the causeway opposite the camp, an area which up until recently has been in the heart of the land controlled by the Short Tail Male. The Rock Drift Male patrolled this area and investigated it most carefully, heading as far north as the Mlowathi River. Over the next few days, he stayed in these northerly areas before he and Ngoboswan Female joined up for yet another mating event, this perhaps the fifth time this year. Goodness knows why she can't fall pregnant. But this turned out to be a bad event for the Rock Drift Male. Three days after the two were seen together, they were again located, close to the confluence of the Matshapiri and Sand Rivers, but with another male leopard, the Hlarulini Male, also in the area. The Ngoboswan Female was high up in a leadwood tree and the two males were metres apart, eyeing each other out. When the Hlarulini Male approached the Rock Drift Male, the latter moved off and made no effort to confront the trespasser. Then, to add insult to injury, a couple of hyaenas arrived and harassed the Rock Drift Male, forcing him to flee downstream in the Matshapiri, leaving the Hlarulini Male to return to watch the Ngoboswan Female which was still perched high in the tree.
The Hlarulini Male is usually expected in areas way to the south of the this, with the Charleston/ Flockfield boundary and perhaps a little to the north of this understood to be the most northerly limit of his range; one wonders how he knew what was going on. Perhaps, when the Ngoboswan Female and Rock Drift Male were first found together, near the lower parts of the Kapen, they left enough scent to attract the attentions of the Hlarulini Male. When the Ngoboswan Female descended from the tree, the Hlarulini Male approached her and the two started fighting quite furiously. The squabble lasted for only the briefest of moments before the Ngoboswan Female broke away and scampered up to the very top of another large leadwood tree and the Hlarulini Male resumed his vigil at the base. At this stage the Rock Drift Male chose to return, but when the Hlarulini Male went to meet him, he decided to move off, headed away from the female leopard and crossed through the still strongly-flowing Matshapiri River. Once on the other side, the hyaenas reappeared and caused the Rock Drift Male to dash for cover, growling threateningly.
The Hlarulini Male, meanwhile, hesitated before crossing and stood staring across the river at the Rock Drift Male. After scent-marking the area, the Hlarulini Male forded the Matshapiri and headed threateningly towards the Rock Drift Male which immediately turned and walked away. When the hyaenas reappeared and turned their attentions to the Hlarulini Male, they found that he wasn't intimidated by them and hardly even seemed to acknowledge their presence as he followed the Rock Drift Male. There was minimal scent-marking as the two leopards went north; they roared once or twice, the voice of the Hlarulini Male noticeably deeper and slower than that of the Rock Drift Male. When they were not far south of the eastern side of the West Street Bridge, they parted ways, the Rock Drift Male heading slowly north, scent-marking as he moved and the Hlarulini Male doing the same as he went south. Meanwhile, back in the tree, the Ngoboswan Female seemed reluctant to descend, scanning the surrounds just in case the Hlarulini Male returned and caught her. After perhaps twenty minutes, she descended and went running off in the opposite direction to that taken by the two males. That evening there was no sign of the any of these leopards, but a third male, the Short Tail Male, was in the area. He later went to the eastern side of the bridge, where he milled around, sniffing the area with great care, finding out all that he could from the smells. Later he moved northwards, methodically scent-marking.
So, what is to happen? Will the Rock Drift Male be forced away and relinquish this area to the Hlarulini Male and will the Short Tail Male have a new lease on life if the Rock Drift Male is completely removed from the area? Has the weakening of the Rock Drift Male been on the cards for some time now and is this perhaps why he was seen being confronted by another male a month ago? And is this the reason why the Kapen Female does not appear to be seeking him for mating and has been keeping her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter under her care still, reluctant to mate and waiting for a successor? Or is this but a temporary hiccup for the Rock Drift Male; he certainly seems powerful enough in other respects and, after three days of mating, perhaps the Hlarulini Male was confronting him when he really wasn't at his best. But, to be humiliated in your home-town is certainly not the best thing and the Rock Drift Male will probably have to do quite a bit of repair work to recover from this. A week after this, the Rock Drift Male seemed to be back in business and patrolling his turf as if nothing extraordinary had taken place.
But then the next extraordinary sighting involving the Rock Drift Male occurred; whilst heading upstream along the western bank of the Matshapiri River, the Rock Drift Male noticed some warthogs ahead and started stalking and, when he judged himself to be in range, dashed in. There was no immediate sign that he'd succeeded in catching one, but he and the warthogs vanished from view. Then, five minutes later, he was found, just as he and a massive adult male warthog made contact. The grass and other vegetation were long and thick and the leopard had no doubt used the cover and the initial confusion of the chase to get close enough to strike. But the battle wasn't easy; the warthog must have been quite a bit heavier than the leopard and was putting up a fierce fight.
Inevitably the noise of the struggle attracted scavengers. First to arrive were two hyaenas, but they just stood and watched as the leopard tried to subdue the warthog. With the warthogs throat being so thick, the Rock Drift Male simply couldn't get his teeth in to asphyxiate it. Then, perhaps 25 minutes after the battle started, two lionesses pitched up, both members of the Styx Pride. They looked well fed already and, as other signs later suggested, must have been on some other kill nearby, together with their cubs, when they heard the squealing of the warthog. Initially they approached cautiously, perhaps not certain as to what they were up against, but, when they saw that it was the leopard, they simply moved in to take over. By this stage, nearly half-an-hour after he'd caught the warthog, the Rock Drift Male must have been exhausted and his heart must have sunk when he saw the lionesses approaching him. One thing he didn't do, however, was panic, and actually only let go of his prize when the lions were closing in. The warthog staggered to his feet and tried to make a dash for it, but was too far gone and the lionesses quickly killed it and then dragged the carcass into a thicket. Within twenty minutes, maybe less, one of the lionesses headed off to go and fetch their cubs whilst the other, younger lioness stood guard. The Rock Drift Male, which had only moved off by some fifty metres or so, then tried to sneak back, but had to flee for his life when the lioness saw him, gave chase and actually narrowly missed catching him before he shot to safety up a tall Knobthorn Tree. The lioness then returned to watch over the kill and twenty minutes later the leopard climbed down and wandered off. That afternoon the two lionesses were at the kill, together with the three cubs. The Rock Drift Male was found later on that evening, well clear of the lions and heading generally towards the West Street Bridge. When he spotted a young kudu nearby, he started stalking towards it, creeping quietly through the thick grass. And that was the last seen of him. Having put the frustration of the morning behind him, he was carrying on as survival dictates.
Then, to round the month off, the Rock Drift Male was seen mating with the Ngoboswan Female yet again. This mating apparently lasted only a short while, goodness knows why. A dramatic month for the Rock Drift Male!
May 2004
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ NE FLOCKFIELD (7 sightings)
During May the Rock Drift Male was seen patrolling areas to the north and east of his more accepted limits, pacing over routes taken by the Short Tail Male, the male leopard which for so long has been the keeper of these parts and which, for the last half-year at least, the Rock Drift Male has been pressurising. One wonders just when it'll be that these two leopards will finally settle this long-running territorial dispute.
There were no sightings this month of the Rock Drift Male mating with the Ngoboswan Female and no sightings of the Rock Drift Male over the last 10 days of this May-report-period.
The last sighting of the Rock Drift Male was of him investigating an area where vultures had gathered in dead trees close to the carcass of a young impala which seemed to have died of natural causes. The leopard was well fed and didn't appear to be that enthusiastic about finding what the vultures were after and left the area empty-handed.
July 2004
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD (6 sightings)
Sightings of the Rock Drift Male were concentrated over a somewhat smaller area than was typically the case a year or so ago, and these were all in the northern parts of his range. It seems that he has been pushed north by the Hlarulini Male, and has been vying for territory traditionally controlled by the Short Tail Male. There were several sightings of the Rock Drift Male and Short Tail Male in close proximity of each other, and (almost predictably!), the Rock Drift Male was once again seen mating with the Ngoboswan Female. One may well be inclined to give up any hope that this mating will result in the birth of cubs, but the mating intensity certainly provided some fine viewing.
Interactions between the Rock Drift Male and the Short Tail Male are briefly described in the paragraphs on the Short Tail Male.
The next couple of months should prove very interesting for the Rock Drift Male, as he faces new challenges. He has been a great leopard to follow for several years now, and is probably one of the most photographed leopards in the world.
August 2004
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD (9 sightings)
The Rock Drift Male leopard seemed to have a pretty good month in August, and has been going about in a businesslike fashion, adding some of the late Short Tail Male's land to his own territory.
He was seen feeding on two kills, one of them being a porcupine and one being an impala, which he and the Ngoboswan Female were sharing. This was early in the month, and there were no other sightings of the Rock Drift Male and Ngoboswan Female together. Indications are that she has, at last, conceived!
Most sightings of the Rock Drift Male were active sightings of a territorial male leopard on the move, and, as always, he provided some good viewing. With the Short Tail Male out of his way, he has one less rival, but he will continue to face many challenges in the times ahead. In an area with such a high density of leopards, no territorial male can have it all his own way!
September 2004
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: SOUTHERN EYREFIELD / WESTERN MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD / SOUTHERN CHARLESTON
(20 sightings)
The Rock Drift Male leopard delivered some fine viewing in September, and he was seen more frequently this month than in any previous month on record. On one occasion he was seen in the south of the reserve, close to the confluence of the Chellahanga and Sand Rivers. Years ago, he used to control this part of the reserve, but it is fair to say that he can no longer claim this area as part of his territory, and he was invading occupied land!
As can be seen from the map, the Rock Drift Male has moved further and further north, as he continues to lay his claim to some of the territory previously controlled by the Short Tail Male. Some of the sightings of the Rock Drift Male were very close to sightings of the Newington Male, and it can only be a matter of time before these two leopards come into conflict, if indeed they have not already done so.
The Rock Drift Male was seen on a number of different kills, including baboon, bushbuck and at least two impala. Two of his daughters, namely the New Hogvaal Female (daughter of the Kapen Female) and the daughter of the White Cloth Female, were seen to "share" kills with the Rock Drift Male. On the one occasion, the Rock Drift Male had a baboon kill up one tree, while the New Hogvaal Female had a bushbuck up a very nearby tree. Both leopards fed on both carcasses, and it is not certain which leopard had killed what. On another occasion, the Rock Drift Male was reported by a film crew to have killed an adult male impala late at night. Rangers following up the next morning found two leopards in the area, the second being the daughter of the White Cloth Female. She and the Rock Drift Male took turns to feed over the next two days, and the relationship between the two was very cordial, with absolutely no hostility.
Towards the end of the game report period, the Rock Drift Male was seen to be nursing some painful wounds on his hind legs. He was walking rather stiffly, but the injuries did not appear too serious. They may have been inflicted by another male leopard, or by the teeth of one of several other species, such as baboon, warthog or lion.
October 2004
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: SOUTHERN EYREFIELD / MALA MALA/ FLOCKFIELD
(11 sightings)
October was another good month for the Rock Drift Male leopard, in terms of frequency of sightings. He still continues to exude an aura of confidence, but his territory is not as large as it once was. He has certainly continued to move further north in the reserve, and now finds himself in direct competition with the Newington Male, as well as a couple of young upstarts. He is well known to be a good father, as leopards go, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on with his newest progeny, the cubs of the Ngoboswan Female. His paternal reputation was, of course, somewhat tarnished last year when he was thought to have killed the male cub of the Dudley Female.
November 2004
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: MALA MALA/ FLOCKFIELD
(2 sightings)
After being seen so frequently in September and October, the Rock Drift Male surprised many of his followers by being seen on only two occasions on Mala Mala during the November game report period. These were on consecutive days just before the middle of the month. On the one occasion, he was seen along the Matshapiri River system, moving generally southwards, roaring and scent marking. He paid some attention to prey animals in the area, but was not seen to hunt too diligently. The following evening he was seen on Eastern Flockfield, mating with none other than the Ngoboswan Female!
Indications are that the Rock Drift Male has been spending much time to the west of Mala Mala, probably looking to occupy more of the land previously controlled by the Short Tail Male. Chances are good that he has also been feeling pressure from the Newington Male in the areas to the north of the Matshapiri.
December 2004
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: MALA MALA/ FLOCKFIELD
(2 sightings)
Once again, there were only two sightings of the Rock Drift Male during this game report period. Both sightings were of an apparently healthy leopard, going about his usual business of hunting and some scent marking, but there is good reason to believe that the Rock Drift Male is under tremendous pressure. He may well have lost large parts of his once vast territory to other male leopards, including the Hlarulini Male, Chellahanga Male and Newington Male, as well as perhaps the Bicycle Crossing Male. It is not clear where he spent most of December. He could have again “camped” in a neighbouring property west of Mala Mala, or he could have been roaming further east, into the Kruger National Park. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the next few months. One thing is certain – the Rock Drift Male is a gutsy leopard, and he will not give up without a fight.
