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.
Once again, there were very few sightings of the Rock Drift Male leopard. When seen, he appeared to be in good condition, and was very well fed on one occasion. Just what his current status is territorially is not certain, but it does seem likely that his once vast territory has diminished substantially. If this is the case, though, then why is he not being seen more regularly? Perhaps it is just that the parts of Flockfield where he is spending most of his time, are not being worked very frequently by game drive vehicles. It is, of course, also possible that the Rock Drift Male is spending much of his time off Mala Mala land, either to the east or west.
February 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: FLOCKFIELD
(1 sighting)
The fact that there was just a single sighting of the Rock Drift Male in February is hard to explain. Where has he been spending his time? All was apparently well with him on the occasion that he was seen, and he was simply walking along, scent-marking and showing interest in what was around him, before settling down in the shade of some large trees on the eastern bank of the Sand River.
March 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: FLOCKFIELD
(1 sighting)
Once again, there was precious little seen of the Rock Drift Male in March. On the single day that he was seen, he was seen both in the morning and evening, and all was apparently well with him. When left he was heading east from Flockfield into the Kruger National Park. He has probably spent a fair amount of time on eastern Flockfield and further east of that. It would be interesting to know what his territorial status is at present. The Newington Male to the north, Hlarulini Male to the south-west and Chellahanga Male to the south-east, are all large, strong leopards, and the Rock Drift Male is probably less inclined to take on other males than he was as a cocky five-year-old.
April 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: MALA MALA
(1 sighting)
Once again, there was just a single sighting of the ageing Rockdrift Male leopard in April. This sighting was in Matshapiri Open Area, which is well within the territory now apparently controlled by the Newington Male. He might have lost a lot of his old territory, but he is a tough customer by nature, and may well have established a sizeable territory within the Kruger National Park. Leopards’ territories are never fixed or permanent, but the will to survive and the need to feed and compete, can keep a leopard going for a long time after he has passed his peak.
May 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: CENTRAL FLOCKFIELD, CENTRAL CHARLESTON
(8 sightings)
It was good to see the Rock Drift Male once again well represented on the map for male leopards seen in May! All seems to be well with this leopard, and he provided good viewing in his old haunts around the middle of the reserve. It must be wondered whether he has had the upper hand in any encounters with the Chellahanga Male, which would certainly explain why the Rock Drift Male has been seen more regularly, and the sightings of the Chellahanga Male were few and further south. The dynamics of male leopard territories will always be fascinating.
June 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, EASTERN CHARLESTON
(9 sightings)
As if to show that he is not a “has-been”, the Rock Drift Male leopard had a very good month. He was seen to make three kills, these being an impala, an adult female kudu (witnessed only by a film crew) and a baboon. The kudu was, of course, far too heavy for the leopard to take up a tree when intact, but hyenas had their share, and after a while the leopard was able to salvage a good deal of the carcass and hoist it up a tree.
The Rock Drift Male patrolled the eastern part of Flockfield and Charleston with authority, and it certainly seems that he has succeeded in reclaiming this choice area from one of his rivals, the Chellahanga Male. On one occasion, he and the Chellahanga Male were seen no more than a few hundred metres from one another, but apart from that, the Rock Drift Male was not seen to come close to any other leopard, male or female. Whether he is still going to be a reproductively active leopard or not, remains to be seen.
July 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: FLOCKFIELD, EASTERN CHARLESTON
(5 sightings)
The Rock Drift Male leopard found himself again challenged by the Chellahanga Male during July, and on one occasion the two male leopards were seen together for at least three hours, engaged in territorial conflict. The Rock Drift Male seemed reluctant to take on the younger Chellahanga Male physically, and when the Chellahanga Male approached him, the Rock Drift Male moved away.
Whatever the outcome of the dispute, the Rock Drift Male continued to spend much time on eastern Charleston in the weeks that followed, and was seen to kill a young bushbuck a couple of weeks after his session with the Chellahanga Male. The other sightings involving the Rock Drift Male were without major drama, and he appears to be in good condition. One can only wonder how much of his old territory he still considers to be his own.
August 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: FLOCKFIELD, CHARLESTON , MALA MALA
(7 sightings)
The seven sightings of the Rock Drift Male were spread over some distance, with one of the sightings being way up in the Wildebeest Crossing area. At the beginning of the game report period, he was seen to kill an impala to the east of the Chellahanga River , and he fed on this kill for three days. On the third day, a group of rhino came very close to the site of the kill, and the leopard was a little uneasy. The other kill that the Rock Drift Male was seen to make, was a steenbok, this being a night time kill on the banks of the Kapen River, near Styx Crossing. The day after the steenbok was killed, the leopard was still in the area, looking very fat and lazy, but showed sudden keen interest in a male warthog that nearly ran into him while he was resting.
One gets the impression that the Rock Drift Male is no longer quite the leopard he once was, and he seems to have accepted that there are larger, stronger leopards than him. It has been a while since he has been seen to mate with a female, or to have the upper hand in a territorial clash with another male.
September 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
Location: CHARLESTON
(2 sightings)
The “legendary” Rock Drift Male was only seen twice in September, and on the second occasion, he was clearly coming second in an interaction with the larger Hlarulini Male. No physical fighting was seen, but the Rock Drift Male retreated to the upper branches of a tree in an attempt to avoid the attentions of the Hlarulini Male.
October 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
(No sightings)
The famous Rock Drift Male leopard was not seen at all on Mala Mala during the October game report period. It will be remembered that the last time he was seen he was on the losing side in a territorial clash with the Hlarulini Male on Charleston . Has he finally been permanently ousted from the area? Perhaps it is too early to write him off.
November 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
(1 sighting)
The single sighting of the Rock Drift Male leopard in November was enough to show that he is indeed still alive and well. He was seen on the western bank of the Sand River on Toulon , which is not really what would be considered Rock Drift Male territory. It could be, though, that he has lost most of “his” land to competitors such as the Hlarulini Male, Chellahanga Male and Newington Male, and has to get by as a semi-nomadic individual, keeping a low profile in somebody else’s territory.
December 2005
ROCK DRIFT MALE
(5 sighting)
Seen more regularly this month than last, it is always a relief to see that the Rock Drift Male is still in good condition and holding his own against the younger males in the area. He was seen catching a duiker and stayed near the carcass for two days providing guests with great photographic opportunities due to his extremely relaxed nature.
