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.
SHORT TAIL MALE
Location: SE MARTHLY/ NW MALA MALA
(8 confirmed sightings)
The Short Tail Male continues to struggle on with his movements again constrained to the area of northwestern Mala Mala, a sure sign that he is no longer capable of patrolling his once big boundaries to protect them from his adversaries.
And the leopard which appears to be the one set to profit most from this loss of power is the Rock Drift Male. After pushing deeper and deeper into the Short Tail Males' territory over the last few months, the two leopards were finally seen facing one another in mid-January. This occurred near the causeway over the Sand River, in what up until now has been in the very heart of Short Tail Male-land. There was much scent-marking and roaring from both leopards and at one stage they were very close to each other, growling and posturing. But in spite of this, the two weren't seen to come to blows (although the Short Tail Male did have a wound on his hip when the two were found) and they eventually parted ways, scent-marking as they went. But, without doubt, the writing is on the wall for the Short Tail Male and it cannot be long now before he's finally chased from the area.
The final sighting of the Short Tail Male this month also involved some lions that had found him up a tree in which he had the remains of a young bushbuck carcass. The lions wanted the kill, small as it was, and of course would have gone to great lengths to kill the leopard. But the Short Tail Male is a seasoned veteran and although the interaction lasted at least 12 hours, the lions were the losers and the leopards' patience won the day.
February 2004
SHORT TAIL MALE
Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD
(8 confirmed sightings)
Its not certain whether the Short Tail Male had a reversal of fortunes this month or not, but for him this observation period ended off with a confrontation between himself and the Rock Drift Male, the leopard which has been pressurising and dominating him for some time now.
This event took place on western Flockfield, an area once patrolled by this old male, but which in recent months has probably been denied to him. The Short Tail Male was seen approaching the Rock Drift Male and Ngoboswan Female as they were sharing the carcass of an adult male impala, probably killed on the last day of a marathon mating session. Once these two leopards had fed from the kill, the Short Tail Male marched in and helped himself, watched by an apparently submissive Rock Drift Male.
Now, was this interaction a once-off due to the fact that the Rock Drift Male was simply too tired to respond, this after perhaps a week of mating, or was he truly wary of the Short Tail Male which might suddenly have found some inner strength and is now on the rebound? Or, was it simply due to the fact that the Short Tail Male is indeed completely past it and not even worth responding to?
The months beginning had similarities for the Short Tail Male, but here only as far as helping himself to the meals of others was concerned. At one sighting the Short Tail Male was seen appropriating an impala carcass from the Campbell Koppies Female (which could very well be his daughter) and then, just over a week later, a kill from the Ngoboswan Female.
March 2004
SHORT TAIL MALE
Location: SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA
(2 confirmed sightings)
Sightings of the Short Tail Male weren't particularly out of the ordinary and showed a leopard patrolling territory. Towards the end of last month, the Short Tail Male appeared to have the upper hand in a confrontation with the Rock Drift Male, this reversing all trends which, for the last few months, have indicated an old male leopard about to be kicked out of his territory.
This month the Rock Drift Male was seen only once and this towards the very eastern parts of his range. Goodness knows what could have happened to him, but in his absence, the Short Tail Male may recover slightly and, at least for a brief while longer, could regain his place as the dominant male leopard.
April 2004
SHORT TAIL MALE
Location: W MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD (4 confirmed sightings)
The Short Tail Male seemed to have had a reasonable month. On the day that his arch-rival, the Rock Drift Male, was challenged by the Hlarulini Male, the Short Tail Male arrived in the area and sniffed around, noting exactly what must have happened. The realisation that his enemy had been humiliated must have been good news for the Short Tail Male and probably gave him a much needed confidence boost.
The last sighting of the Short Tail Male over this report-period was of him taking on two hyaenas which had just stolen a bushbuck carcass. After following the trail left by the hyaenas, the Short Tail Male caught up with them and, before the hyaenas knew what was happening, charged in, trying to intimidate them from the meat. Although it nearly worked, the hyaenas quickly realised that it was only a leopard taking them on and, before the Short Tail Male could snatch up the carcass, they turned on him and forced him to back off.
May 2004
SHORT TAIL MALE
Location: W MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD (8 confirmed sightings)
The Short Tail Male survived yet another month, patrolling the area which he's claimed for so long, but at the same time having his steps followed by his arch-rival, the Rock Drift Male. The two male leopards seemed to overlap one another almost completely and one wonders just how long this will go on for before one of them is finally forced from the area.
*This image is copyright of its original author
One of the last sightings of the Short Tail Male this month was of him looking very well fed and lying in the Manyelethi River close to where an adult male lion was resting. The male lion was also as fat as could be and had been in the area for some time, probably feeding from some or other carcass hidden nearby. Chances are that the Short Tail Male had been attracted to the area by the smell of carrion and, with only one lion to contend with, had cleverly scavenged from whatever carcass it was whenever the lion had its back turned.
June 2004
*This image is copyright of its original author
The Short Tail Male leopard seen during June 2004
July 2004
SHORT TAIL MALE
Location: W MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD (11 sightings)
The Short Tail Male leopard is dead! This sad news might not be altogether surprising, as this old leopard had come under tremendous pressure in recent months. His demise was not undignified, and in the end it was a mauling from lions that ended his days. More about that later.
His final month was one of the best, in terms of the number of times he was sighted, and also the quality of the sightings. He was seen 11 times during July - more frequently than any other leopard on Mala Mala, and most of the sightings were memorable or even dramatic. At the beginning of the game report period, he was seen to be extremely well fed, and he spent much of the month in an area not far from Mala Mala Camp.
A memorable sighting involved the Short Tail Male, the Rock Drift Male and the Ngoboswan Female. The Rock Drift Male had once again been mating with the Ngoboswan Female a couple of days earlier, and now she found herself with two males, neither of them willing to give in to the other. From interactions between the two males, which included "lateral displaying", it was no simple matter to determine which one had the upper hand. No physical fighting was seen to take place, and the psychological battle seemed to be pretty evenly matched. The area where these interactions took place is well within what has for many years been Short Tail Male territory, but has over the last several months been hotly challenged by the Rock Drift Male.
A couple of relatively "calm" sightings of the Short Tail Male followed over the next few days, and then a week after his fracas with the Rock Drift Male, he was seen close to the camp again, now with some very deep and painful looking fang marks in his head. A baboon had been found dying close to the camp that morning, with teeth marks in its neck, and it seems likely that this baboon had been caught by a leopard, and that the leopard had been interrupted before the baboon had quite died. The conclusion drawn was that the leopard had been attacked by other baboons, probably including a couple of large males, while he was in the process of strangling his victim. The canines of a large male baboon are somewhat longer than those of a leopard, and the leopard probably beat a hasty retreat. When he was seen 12 hours later, crossing the causeway, he was not a pretty sight. He was seen again the next evening, hunting in the general area of Picadilly and the Sand River banks close to the camp, but without success.
A few days later another sighting involved the Short Tail Male, the Rock Drift Male and a baboon kill. This was on the eastern bank of the Sand River, not far south of the camp. A large adult male baboon had been killed and treed, and both male leopards were in the area, taking turns to feed. Not much was seen in the way of any aggression between the two male leopards, but the two enemies kept just far enough away from each other to not invade "personal space". The food source was there, and each leopard was prepared to wait his turn to feed. To live, you have to eat, and if there is food for the taking, sometimes you have to put up with somebody else who also wants to eat. The Short Tail Male and Rock Drift Male shared this kill for two days. On the third day, there was nothing left of the kill, and the Rock Drift Male had left the area. The Short Tail Male was still around the general area, resting in reeds of the Sand River bed. From there he moved westwards.
This sighting of the Short Tail Male on 21 July 2004 was the last sighting of him on Mala Mala. He was seen a couple of days later on a neighbouring reserve to the west, scavenging from a buffalo carcass, the buffalo having been killed by lions. The leopard, however, pushed his luck a little too far, and was caught by the lions, which mauled him so badly that he would not recover.
For many months the Short Tail Male had been "playing with fire", and there was an occasion several months ago when he was very nearly caught by male lions at the site of their buffalo kill in the Sand River bed close to Mala Mala Camp. The fact that he had resorted to hunting baboons suggested that this ageing male leopard was being frustrated in many of his attempts to catch more "conventional" prey. Over the last 6 months or so, his condition varied. Sometimes he looked extremely thin and tatty, on other occasions he looked well fed, sleek and good for a few more years.
Nobody knows just how old the Short Tail Male leopard was, but he must have been a good 13 or 14 years old. He was first seen on Mala Mala at least a decade ago. In those days he was a rather flighty young male, seldom seen by day, and even elusive at night. Having not grown up with Land Rovers, he took a long, long time to accept them, and sightings of him were often short-lived. Up until 2 or 3 years ago, he remained nervous of vehicles by day, but had become quite tolerant of them at night. In fact, he could often be followed on the hunt at night, and was frequently seen to kill prey in the presence of vehicles. More recently he became a thoroughly viewable leopard during the day, and was something of a legend in his own time. Never an attractive animal, the Short Tail Male certainly had a huge amount of attitude and character, and rangers' fond stories of him will be told for years to come. His death marks the end of an era, but will perhaps increase the expected longevity of the Rock Drift Male, who now has one less rival to deal with in his bid to extend his territory northwards. The Short Tail Male will be missed!
