Leopards of Sabi Sands

[Tonpa]

Leopards

• The month started with Schotia female and Nyeleti male mating once again which brings the hope of a new litter of cubs in the coming months.
• Schotia female continues to thrive, having made a number of successful hunts throughout the month which allowed for some magnificent leopard viewing. She continues to separate herself from the Kangela male, however the two of them have been seen together on the odd occasion. 
• Guests at Singita Boulders were treated to a very different leopard sighting this month when the Kangela male caught and hoisted an adult female impala in a tree close to one of the room’s outdoor shower. Unfortunately, the kill was stolen by the Nyeleti male who continued to force the young male away whilst feeding on his scavenged meal. There were no guests staying in the room at the time, so we allowed the other guests to come and view this rare sighting!
• The Ntoma female has been viewed on a number of occasions this month with brief glimpses of her two little cubs. We hope to see them thriving with their ever powerful mother keeping them safe. They are still a little bit nervous when there is any sort of vehicle presence but the Ntoma female herself is beginning to show more signs of being relaxed in our presence which we hope helps her cubs to do the same.
• Both Thamba male and Hosana male continue to exude their presence across the reserve. With the Thamba male becoming larger and stronger, he was even seen to be chasing off the Xipuku male who we believe originally pushed the Thamba male further into the south-west parts of the property when he first arrived. He and the Hosana male seem to be pushing their territories just slightly further into Nyeleti male territory with sightings of the Hosana male in parts of the river we have not yet viewed him before. 
• A very interesting arrival of the Senegal Bush male became apparent when he moved into the property along the river from our east. Many may not know, but the Senegal Bush male is the older brother and previous litter of the Hosana male. Reports of pressure from the Maxims male, Mawelawela male and the Flat Rock male mean that this could be a new exciting chapter for the Senegal Bush male if he continues to expand his territory further in a westerly direction, and we look forward to observing his movements.
  

Old boy Nyeleti really starting to get boxed in now ey Reply