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Ngala · 10-19-2016, 10:12 PM

From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"Kashane male was seen eating a porcupine and later rested on a dam wall until a warthog came down for a drink, but he lost sight of him very quickly."

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Tshokwane · 10-20-2016, 09:53 PM

From Sundestinations, Mxabene’s Battle with Kaxane Male Leopard:

We caught up with Umkumbe Safari Lodge field guide, Mauritz Senekal, and discovered some enchanting images of Mxabene male leopard from a couple of months back when he was seen patrolling his territory that crosses over our traverse. His classic, unmistakable face and domineering presence in this region of the Sabi Sand make him a familiar character in these parts. More recently, Umkumbe guests saw Mxabene the morning after a fight with another male leopard known as Kaxane/Kashane. According to history, this is not the first battle between these legendary males. This time, it looks like Mxabene won, as Kaxane was reported to be hanging way down south in the Sabi Sand.

*This image is copyright of its original author

We took a look back on the life of Mxabene, beginning at his birthplace on Londolozi…

Back in October 2008, Mxabene was born as one of two twin males to the Mxabene female – a well known and revered leopardess in the area. Her territory ran along the Mxabene riverbed, hence her name. She was incredibly relaxed around the presence of game viewers, and her two male cubs started life ‘in the spotlight’, so to speak. At that time, Mxabene was only know as the ‘pink nose juvenile’, while his brother was named the Tu Tones male, and developed quite the following as he lived his epic life on the Londolozi property. Eventually, when the brother leopards literally outgrew their mother, the trio split, and Tu Tones’ brother, who we know today as the legendary Mxabene, moved south and entered the property Umkumbe traverses, and is now a dominant presence.

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No one was surprised when Mxabene (known as Makhotini back at his birthplace on Londolozi), continued to thrive. His father was a famous male known as Camp Pan, his mother was a female leopard that had raised many successful cubs, and his brother Tu Tones was making waves as a magnificent leopard in his territory. Mxabene has followed in his family footsteps and become a firm favourite at Umkumbe. He is 8 years old now, and looking more impressive than ever. Sadly, his brother Tu Tones was killed by baboons last year, bringing his life to an early end. The brothers’ father, Camp Pan, died last year at the ripe old age of 15.

Last month, the Kaxane male leopard, whose territory traverses Singita, was seen right down south in our neck of the woods and on Mxabene’s territory. Umkumbe guide Mauritz had the following to say:

“We saw Mxabene the morning after his fight with the Kaxane male. Kaxane was operating on Singita and most likely got pushed out, heading south where he unfortunately bumped into Mxabene. Max won and drove Kaxane even further south, to where he has now been seen in the southern parts of the of Sabi Sabi concession.”

Mxabene showed some swelling in his face and has a couple of new scars to add to his facial collection. Still, he continues to dominate, and we are honoured to see him living up to his legendary name.

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Ngala · 10-21-2016, 05:38 PM

From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"We have had numerous action-packed leopard sightings over the past 2 safaris:
Last night, the Tatowa female surprised us by running after a Common grey duiker… unfortunately for her she missed, but the duiker on the other hand got to live another day in the beautiful African bushveld.
The Kashane male leopard was actively stalking a female reedbuck, but the reedbuck saw him and started alarm calling. His position was made known to all the other animals in the area and thereafter this big male leopard decided to go take a nap on top of a massive termite mound until things cooled down a little bit.
Kigelia female killed a young duiker this morning and played with her food before starting to eat it!"

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Tshokwane · 10-21-2016, 08:41 PM

Credits to Mathew Brennan - Inyati Game Lodge.

Dewane sporting the wounds of the victorious. Losers where their scars on their butts.

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Ngala · 10-22-2016, 12:17 AM

From Umkumbe Safari Lodge:
"The magnificent Mambiri male leopard looking content in his new neighbourhood."

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Ngala · 10-22-2016, 04:20 PM

This is a very sad news. This isn't a good year for leopards. The Airstrip male before, and now the Robson's male. And the Bicycle Crossing male risked a lot with the Matshapiri male. The 4:4 male had a beautiful coat and face. Maybe the fact that it was an elusive leopard, made him even more beautiful.

I post the entire article. Thanks for sharing @~~Georgel~~ .

From Londolozi Game Reserve, An Obituary for an Unknown Entity by James Tyrrell:
It’s a discussion I have had with quite a few people recently: what does “loss” mean to us in the context of the bush? Why should the death of a big cat affect us so deeply, when buffalo are currently being killed by lions at the rate of sometimes more than one per night and we hardly bat an eyelid?

The reasons are fairly obvious, in that we follow the individual predator’s lives, immersing ourselves in their stories, whilst the more common animals like impala just make up the numbers. But should this necessarily be the case? The leopards and lions don’t care about us, and if all the Land Rovers were to one day simply disappear, the lives of the predators of Londolozi – indeed the lives of all creatures here – would continue on as normal.

Yet we find ourselves profoundly moved by the death of an individual predator. And as much as we can debate it back and forth, discussing the appropriateness of our emotions and whether it’s right to feel something for an animal that is most likely devoid of emotion itself – at least emotion in the form that we perceive it – ultimately I still feel that our sense of loss when a predator dies is a good thing. It is part of our connection to the wilderness and the fundamental value we place in the beauty of nature that is touched.
I guess at its core, the ability to mourn for what is lost is part of what actually makes us human.

The 4:4 leopard, the dominant male that roamed an extensive area between the Tugwaan drainage line in the south-west right up to the Manyelethi River in the north, sadly departed this world last week.

*This image is copyright of its original author

We found him lying in state at Cheetah Pools Pan early one morning, having succumbed to injuries sustained in an encounter with the Mhangeni Breakaway Pride a week or two before. His body was untouched by hyenas or other scavengers, and he had an almost peaceful look on his face. I have no shame in admitting I had a tear in my eye upon seeing him, as did my guests. Alfie Mathebula had seen him at the waterhole the previous day, still alive, and reported that he was not in very good condition; most likely he had some internal injuries that caused him to weaken. Unable to hunt, his condition would have steadily deteriorated until, sometime during the night between when Alfie saw him and we found his body, he would have simply closed his eyes and slipped away.

Of all the animals I have seen come and go during my time at Londolozi, his death has affected me the most. And I don’t really know why.
He was a leopard we hardly ever saw, and it was usually only his rasping call emanating from a deep drainage line that alerted us to his presence. If we hardly ever saw him, how could we (or at least, I) feel such a connection to him? The Mashaba female I have viewed regularly for six years, since she was newly independent. The Nkoveni female I have been viewing since she was barely 24 hours old. Yet it was the 4:4 male, one of Londolozi’s most elusive and shy individuals, that I felt the greatest affinity towards.

Plaque Rock; an iconic site on Londolozi to view a leopard. A more perfect spot for a leopard like the 4:4 male to be viewed I cannot imagine…

*This image is copyright of its original author

I guess in some ways he served to remind us of the wildest elements of old Africa; an Africa devoid of human presence. His reluctance to be viewed only added to his allure as an enigmatic animal, and whilst other leopards on Londolozi have had their lives recorded in journals and in media throughout the world, the 4:4 male is destined to always occupy a space in the grey area of the Leopards of Londolozi.

Despite hardly being viewed, he will be sorely missed.

*This image is copyright of its original author

The discussion as to what happens now, with a huge blank space to be filled in on the map by other males who will be contesting the rights to his territory, I will leave for another day.

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal – Albert Pike"

The 4:4 male’s life was for him alone. Fathering cubs, defending territory, hunting, all the things that make up the life of a male leopard.

What he has done for others, and by ‘others’ I mean those of us lucky enough to have viewed him – as oblivious as he may have been to the impact he was having – was to remind us of the true beauty of his species. The iconic elusiveness that defines quintessential Africa for so many. The Africa still shrouded in mystery.

Track by track, call by call and sighting by sighting, the 4:4 male, more than any other leopard during their tenure at Londolozi, served to feed our imaginations as few others have done before him, or likely will again...

Tshokwane · 10-22-2016, 08:23 PM

Credits to Cheetah Plains.

Male Leopard, Mvula has still been seen really often up in the north. He moved away from his Nyala kill, and has moved further east and slightly south. Image by Field Guide Andrew Khosa.

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Ngala · 10-23-2016, 02:21 AM

Some "old" leopards passed away, but fortunately new young leopards grow.

From Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve, credits to Hugo Breed Wildography:
"Hlaba Nkunzi's son, N'weti male leopard, put on quite a show for us this morning by ascending a beautiful Jackalberry tree."

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Tshokwane · 10-24-2016, 06:29 PM

From Londolozi, Leopard Update: The Piva Male Explores…: by Kevin Power.

Rain is the lifeblood of the earth, bringing new life when it falls. There are times though when it can also make conditions slightly harder for animals, which is something I’ve noticed showing up in the leopard dynamics in the last few days.

With the unfortunate passing of the 4:4 Robson’s male, it has left an opening in some prime leopard territory around the Londolozi camps. I initially thought it would take some time before another male realised this prime territory was up for grabs but it didn’t. Leopards make use of urine mainly to mark their territory; this makes sure that other leopards passing through are well aware of the dominant leopard in the area. Urine only lasts for a few days and this is the reason leopards patrol their territory regularly, to make sure all others are aware of their reign. When rain falls however, the urine is washed away and the leopards need to mark soon after in order to re-erect these “invisible” boundaries.
We received a small sprinkling of rain soon after the passing of the 4:4 male, no doubt washing away any of the iconic male’s presence in his territory. Within a few days the Piva male had moved much further west than usual, no doubt exploring an area that had no sign of another male. With pressure from the Inyatini male further south in his territory, this must seem like a much easier area to inhabit for the Piva male, with no competition. I don’t think we can say for sure just yet that he will move into this area, or at least take over a portion of it, but he is certainly well aware of the fact that it is now unoccupied and up for grabs.

*This image is copyright of its original author

The red area in this map shows the territory currently held by the Piva male leopard. The blue dot shows the area he has been investigating since the death of the 4:4 male and the green dot is where he was seen this morning.

*This image is copyright of its original author

What does this mean for the existing leopards in the area, most importantly the females? We suspect that the Mashaba female is pregnant, possibly even having dropped in the last few days. Having mated with both the 4:4 and Piva males, we can’t be sure who the father of the cubs is. If the Piva male were to settle, would he accept these cubs as his own? We know that the Mashaba young female, recently independent, still uses this area as her home. She is daughter to the 4:4 male, how will the Piva male react to her when he inevitably come across her? The Nhlanguleni female, who’s territory is slightly further west, has two cubs that we believe were sired by the 4:4 male, will the Piva male come across these cubs and what will his response be?

We cannot answer these questions right now, only time will tell but we can certainly say that there are some very interesting times ahead for the leopard dynamics in the heart of Londolozi.

One of the first times I saw the Piva male. He was only about 2 years of age, still in his mother’s territory, but was also a substantial leopard by that time.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Personally, I’m very excited to see what the Piva male does. Secretly I’m hoping that he adopts this new territory as his own and continues to be a dominant force amongst the leopards of Londolozi. Having seen him for the first time when he was only 2 years of age, I certainly have a bias towards his success and wish only for good things for this incredible male.

Ngala · 10-24-2016, 09:44 PM

From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"Last night we tracked down Maxabeni who spent most of the day resting in some shade upon nightfall he went for a drink at a nearby watering hole."

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Ngala · 10-24-2016, 09:46 PM

Mbavala male, from Lion Sands Game Reserve.

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Ngala · 10-24-2016, 09:49 PM

Photo and information credits: Messham Photography
"Sometimes this male leopard just looks far to proud. Here the West Street male makes guiding easy as he stares over the water at Kirkman's Kamp Private Game Reserve. Follow To Skin a Cat to see how andBeyond Travel and Panthera are working together to save these beautiful animals in South Africa."

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Ngala · 10-24-2016, 10:08 PM

Tingana male, credits to Louis Liversage from E.p. Rangers.

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Ngala · 10-26-2016, 02:49 AM

From Tintswalo Safari Lodge:
"On the afternoon of the 21st, the Beacon male Leopard was found earlier in the afternoon at Wild dog Dam."

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"Rhulani male Leopard was found on Foot road as well."

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"On the afternoon of the 23rd, Rhulani was relocated on Foot road."

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Ngala · 10-26-2016, 08:35 PM

Inyathini male from Londolozi Game Reserve, Photographic Journal: Lucid Light by Sean Cresswell.

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