Leopards of Sabi Sands

[Tonpa]

https://singita.com/2021/07/singita-sabi-sand-july-2021

Leopards

• One of the most exciting sightings this month was with the Shangwa male leopard. One crisp misty morning, one of our guides headed towards the river, where she and her tracker located this male leopard. At first only a tail hanging from a large ebony tree and a spotted hyena at the base. After a few moments of establishing they came to realise that this young male had killed a fully grown nyala ewe but was unable to hoist this heavy carcass. Unfortunately for him, it seemed as though he’d lost this prize to a conniving confident clan member, although she too wasn’t strong enough to drag this gift away. An exciting sighting to view, watching the determined leopard try to steal his meal away from the greedy hyena, and being chased away. After several attempts, he managed to tear away part of the prize, racing up the ebony tree once again to get away from the hyena’s strong jaws. A relentless battle of wills that carried on for well over an hour, finally ending with an extremely full-bellied hyena dragging the remaining parts of the carcass away to a bush. The Shangwa male leopard managed to eat a small part of the kill and sniffed around for any remaining elements before retiring to a nearby thicket only to ponder on his escapades and clean his paws.  
  

• We haven’t seen too much of the Kangela male leopard this month, however his movements have been mostly around the lodges and occupying areas when we have seen him. 
  

• The Misava male was seen east of the lodges, but otherwise this more elusive male remains less viewed. 
  

• The Hosana male had an interesting encounter with the Flat Rock male leopard. Both dominant males were in the same area, north of the Sand River within a few meters of each other at a dam, however both individuals did not see each other. It would be an interesting encounter to view if they did lock eyes and we wonder if there would be some hostility in their interaction. 
  

• The Thamba male leopard has been seen further and further north and east of his territory, pushing into Nyeleti male leopard territory more and more. On one occasion, the Thamba male was seen close to July dam (a dam well within Nyeleti’s area). Scent marking and wandering the area, the Thamba male came across the Nyeleti male leopard and began to chase him. No physical fight happened on this occasion, however some very hostile vocalisation and communication was seen between both individuals. The Thamba male ended up chasing the Nyeleti male far west where we lost visual of both individuals. 
  

• The Scotia female has been seen in her usual territories and at the beginning of the month as had an impala ram kill close to our Singita airport terminal building. The kill however was stolen by a spotted hyena.  
  

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