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Leopard
Leopards of Sabi Sands
Leopards of Sabi Sands
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Leopards of Sabi Sands
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From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"After feeding the whole day yesterday, Lisbon and her cub decided to sleep off some of their meal and enjoy some social bonding."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author From Cheetah Plains Private Game Reserve: "Male Leopard, Tingana, is still hanging around Tree House Dam, but is sporting an injury to his back. We suspect he was involved in a scrap with another male, but it isnt looking too bad." Image by Andrew Khosa  *This image is copyright of its original author From Sundestinations, Week in Pictures: Changing Season "Kigelia pauses in the fork of a tree as she assesses her next move."  *This image is copyright of its original author From Umkumbe Safari Lodge: "Located in a pristine reserve in the heart of Sabi Sand, our game viewing is exceptional. This is White Dam, just one of the many beautiful leopards we see while out on game drive."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Londolozi Game Reserve, A Ranger Remembers: Jess MacLarty’s Highlights Part 2:
"About a month ago we shared a post where Jess MacLarty, a ranger of 7 years, reminisced about her guiding years in a beautiful journal of images. As promised we now bring you part 2. As with so many of our guides, Jess had a real love for Londolozi’s leopards and this post is therefore dedicated to some of these beautiful cats." "The Tamboti female leaps across a small rivulet. The jump for her cub, however, being not quite as easy."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Gowrie male and Nanga female snap at each other as they break apart during a mating session. By mating with many different males during her oestrus period, she hopes to protect her possible future litter."  *This image is copyright of its original author "One of the Tamboti female’s cubs (late 2015 litter) at about 6 weeks old. Despite the cubs starting to gain confidence, they don’t stray too far from their mother at this age."  *This image is copyright of its original author "A photograph of the Nkoveni female, known as the Mashaba young female at the time, as watches her mother from the comforts of a Marula tree."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Mashaba female scans the Sand River for any sign of a potential meal. We have been fortunate to watch this female leopard from a very young age and today she still holds a territory around Londolozi’s camps."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Tamboti female keeps an eye on her second cub (late 2015 litter) as it strays from the den. At this point she was keeping the cubs in the root system of a fallen tree."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Tamboti female grooms one of her cubs (late 2015 litter) whilst it tries to play with her."  *This image is copyright of its original author "One of the Tamboti female’s cubs suckles (late 2015 litter) while she keeps a look out. The cubs will drink milk for about 8-10 weeks before being taken to their first kill."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Maxabene female and her two young males feast together on a male nyala. The leopard shown in this picture is one of the youngsters, now known as the Makotini male as he and a hyena watch some circling vultures. The most amazing this about this sighting was how the leopard and hyena fed side-by-side, seemingly unphased by each other’s presence."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Tamboti female rests on a fallen log. It is amazing how leopards can make any perch look comfortable."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Nanga female and Gowrie male mate. The Gowrie male has not been seen in many months and is believed to be deceased."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Mashaba female plays with her most recent cub on a drizzly summer’s morning. The cooler temperatures seemed to give these two cats a new-found energy and they played with each other for hours."  *This image is copyright of its original author "One of Nanga’s cubs from 2015, drinks from below it’s mother. Being around water has its inherent dangers like crocodiles, hippos and other large predators and cubs often drink close to their mother’s for safety."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve, photo credits Hugo Breed Wildtography::
"Dayone staking out a Warthog burrow..."  *This image is copyright of its original author Dewane Male from Idube Game Reserve:  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Hlab'nkunzi Female, in the second photo with an impala kill:  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Hlab'nkunzi's son:  *This image is copyright of its original author Anderson Male, photo credits Tristan and Grayson Dicks Wildlife Photography: "Can't get enough of this leopard! Anderson male grooming himself while keeping a watchful eye on a female leopard he was mating with."  *This image is copyright of its original author From Kirkman's Kamp Private Game Reserve, photo credits Messham Photography: "Nobody knows how to relax like the Ndzilo female, seen here resting with a full belly in a marula tree. We hope all of you are taking it easy today."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve, photo credits Stefan Swanepoel:
"Thlangisa & one of her cubs moving towards a puddle for a drink."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Thlangisa & both her Cubs having a drink after finishing a kill."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Family Time with Thlangisa & Both her Cubs as they look for a spot to spend the day relaxing."  *This image is copyright of its original author From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve: "The Mashaba female rests in the late morning ,watching her daughter pushing boundaries with a hyena."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The cub is becoming bolder and bolder, as showed by her approach to this young hyena. Had the hyena been fully-grown, it is doubtful whether she would have got so close."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Mother and daughter share a drink after feeding on a young waterbuck carcass nearby."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Mashaba female again, on the lookout for any potential prey."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Cool earth near this wallow provides a comfortable resting place during the heat of the day."  *This image is copyright of its original author Yesterday, 10 April 2016: "Last night the Lisbon Female was found with a new duiker kill, which she dropped and then relocated to a different tree. This afforded us a magnificent view as the clouds set in behind her with beautiful tones not normally seen in the bush."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Today, 11 April 2016: "After being chased up a tree by a hyena, the Lisbon female devoured the last bit of meat from her kill before heading off to patrol her territory."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Yesterday, 11 April 2016, from Umkumbe Safari Lodge:
"What a spectacular cat! White Dam and her eyes of liquid gold, not to mention that unique marking under her left pupil... Such a superb relaxed sighting of this leopardess that often slinks off into the bush to be in peace."  *This image is copyright of its original author "White Dam watched us carefully, as we pulled up in the game viewer, but she was far too comfortable to leave us in the dust and she graciously stayed put, allowing us to admire her at length."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Blending in... It's no question why leopards are so scarcely seen in the wild - with camouflage like this they disappear easily into the mottled colouration of the bush."  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits: JRD Photography "Tingana male leopard on the move …. Sabi Sand"  *This image is copyright of its original author Dewane Male from Idube Game Reserve:  *This image is copyright of its original author Hlab'nkunzi Female and son  *This image is copyright of its original author Scotia Female  *This image is copyright of its original author From E.p. Rangers, photo credits: Dawie Jacobs Anderson Male  *This image is copyright of its original author Salayexe Female  *This image is copyright of its original author "Salayexe's cub resting on a termite mound"  *This image is copyright of its original author "Shadow the female leopard, with both her cubs"  *This image is copyright of its original author
Umkumbe Safari Lodge:
You need to watch this video of Mxabene, one of our favourite male leopards! Mxabene emerges from the thickets, brushes past the vehicle and continues his journey...Game viewing just does not get better than this! Thanks to Nicki Steenberg for the clip. Click on it to play.
Pravir Patel Photography:
For majority of my time at Sabi Sabi this was the man in charge. You can see why! Maxabeni/Mxabene male  *This image is copyright of its original author
Cedit to Alexander Hamilton on the original find
"But the best sighting I have ever had happened in August last year. On the previous afternoon game drive ranger Nick Sims had found a male leopard in the northern parts of the reserve after the leopard had managed to kill a young giraffe! When I caught news of this event I thought he was joking because leopards surely don’t hunt giraffe, do they? My curiosity got the better of me and we headed to the area the following morning. As we approached the area excitement was reaching boiling point! We could make out the shape of a predator in the distance and in that moment silence engulfed the vehicle… the closer we got we could soon tell that it wasn’t a leopard, but two hyenas feeding on a giraffe carcass. Everyone in the vehicle expected to see a leopard in the area so naturally they were quite disappointed. However, I told everyone that the leopard could still be somewhere around. We drove in a few concentric circles and sure enough, Euce managed to spot a massive male leopard sitting no more than 50 metres away from the kill. It was the Anderson Male. I had never seen this individual before and had only heard ell and about his size. To say I was in awe would probably be the understatement of the century. He is truly enormous! He looked fixedly at the hyenas with eyes wide open, possibly for an opportunity to regain his prize. The hyenas managed to dislodge a leg of the young giraffe and hastily made away with it. The leopard, without hesitation, ran towards the kill and swooped it up in one fluid motion. This caught the hyenas by surprise and they immediately dropped the leg they had been chewing on and charged back towards the carcass. The leopard dragged it at astonishing speed towards a nearby Cassia tree with the now trailing hyenas hot on his heels. He reached the trunk and without a second’s pause, hoisted it up in one seemingly effortless motion.While the carcass was being hoisted, one of the hyenas managed to grab hold of the back leg of the giraffe. This was the make or break moment for the leopard. It turned into a tug of war with the leopard up the tree and the hyena dangling in mid air hanging on to the giraffe’s leg. We could not believe what was transpiring in front of us. The hyena eventually conceded, falling back to the ground, and the exhausted leopard had claimed back the kill that he no doubt worked very hard for!We were left speechless by this raw display of brute strength. We watched the Anderson male for another couple of minutes before deciding to leave him with his hard-earned kill." http://blog.londolozi.com/2016/04/the-be...e-been-in/ Anderson Male  *This image is copyright of its original author Alexander Hamilton "Tingana from the northern Sabi Sands next to a vehicle,a good picture that shows the size of a large male leopard compared to a group of people.Tingana is the 3rd biggest leopard in the Sabi Sands but much smaller than the Anderson male.'  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Londolozi Game Reserve, My Favourite Place by Ian and Lisa Wilson
"The Mashaba female prepares to hunt as the heat of the day fades, her cub safely hidden away for now. "  *This image is copyright of its original author "Less than an hour after the first image, the Mashaba female hides in a dense thicket with a young waterbuck kill."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Mashaba female and her 10-month old cub enjoy a moment together after finishing up the previous night’s waterbuck kill."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Mashaba female’s cub reflected in the morning light as she washes down her meal with a drink at the nearby waterhole. "  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Mashaba cub sets off for a stroll in the morning sunshine after finishing her drink."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Mashaba female uses a low tree to keep an eye on her increasingly independent young cub."  *This image is copyright of its original author "My favourite male leopard of Londolozi, the Piva male, starts his late afternoon patrol."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The somewhat shy 4:4 male rests before returning to finish his impala safely stowed in a nearby tree. Monkey alarm calls helped us to work out where he was hiding."  *This image is copyright of its original author From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve: "The Kigelia female was moving in the deep shadows of a dense drainage line."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author "It seems that White Dam had an altercation with her male cub this morning which ended in her driving him off, hissing and snarling to get her point across. He later went on to find a small meal in the form of a tortoise which he settled down to enjoy."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author From Inyati Game Lodge: "Tlangisa killed an impala for her growing boys."  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits: Darren Donovan Wildlife Photography "The Nwsisontso female leopard in the thick Riverine bush, along the Nwasisontso drainage line."  *This image is copyright of its original author
Wild Wings Safaris:
Our most memorable leopard sighting, and one of the more renowned leopards of Kruger. This big male is known as Mbavala/Vin Diesel. Such a beast this male is, look at the size of his neck...  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"We followed up on the distant calls of a leopard and were greeted with the magnificent sight of Little Bush and her cub strolling through a riverbed until they eventually climbed the bank and into the golden light of the rising sun!"  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author From Idube Game Reserve: Scotia Female  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Beautiful boy, Tingana, from Nkorho Bush Lodge by Karin van der Merwe:  *This image is copyright of its original author Another beautiful male, Mvula, by Nkorho Rangers:  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits: PJD Photography and Guiding  *This image is copyright of its original author "Male leopard resting close to where he hoisted his kill up in a tree. For an old guy his condition is still very good."  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits: JRD Photography "This big male leopard were following a herd of Buffalo when we found him. Eventually he came to rest on a termite mount in the late afternoon - Sabi Sand"  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits: Chene Wales-Baillie AdventureWild "It's been a while since I've seen Mvula but after seeing him this morning I can say that he's looking pretty good in his old age! Still as gorgeous as ever!"  *This image is copyright of its original author
Big and beautiful male, Mbavala, also knows as Vin Diesel. Photo and information credits: Armand Grobler Photography
"Mbavala; One of, if not the biggest leopard in the Kruger National Park! An absolute beast! Had the privilege to see him up close and personal!! What an experience!" 05 March 2016  *This image is copyright of its original author "Mbavala Male Leopard- Kruger National Park. Also known as Vin Diesel!" 12 March 2016  *This image is copyright of its original author "Mbavala portrait." 21 March 2016  *This image is copyright of its original author "Mbavala seen near Kruger Gate. One of the biggest leopards in the park, also known as Vin Diesel..." 03 April 2016  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Londolozi Game Reserve, The Week in Pictures #227 by James Tyrell:
"The Mashaba female heads down a game path through a Tamboti thicket while her cub sits behind her. Nyala alarm calls had alerted ranger Garrett Fitzpatrick and head tracker Richard Siwela to the presence of a predator in the area, and it wasn’t long before they had found the pair emerging from Winnis’ Donga." Photograph by James Tyrrell  *This image is copyright of its original author "The cub spied some vervet monkeys up in a Schotia tree and rushed up to chase them. Unfortunately the thick foliage prevented any photos from being taken, but this is the Mashaba female watching her daughter’s antics high in the branches." Photograph by James Tyrrell  *This image is copyright of its original author "The cub made four forays up the tree to try and catch the monkeys, who were alarming at the leopards the entire time. Between attempts she would return to her mother to be groomed, but would nevertheless keep her eyes fixedly on the monkeys." Photograph by James Tyrrell  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits Tristan and Grayson Dicks Wildlife Photography: "Nsele at sunset."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Salaeyxe watches as the cane rat she had been hunting disappears into the long grass."  *This image is copyright of its original author From Idube Game Reserve: Dewane  *This image is copyright of its original author Xikavi  *This image is copyright of its original author From Umkumbe Safari Lodge: "Mxabene provide us with an incredible close-up sighting this week. He strolled right up to our game viewer, brushed past it and continued his patrolling."  *This image is copyright of its original author "The Mahlathini male leopard was seen in front of the lodge, just patrolling the banks of the Sand River."  *This image is copyright of its original author
JRD Photography:
Big male leopard in the late afternoon. Mvula male. He looks so much like his brother Vin Diesel in this pic.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Mvula male. Photo credits: Morné Fouché
 *This image is copyright of its original author
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