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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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Credits to Q.P.J-The Making Of A Specialist Field Guide.
The Anderson male of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve!  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Dulini Game Reserve.
The 'Dayone' Male Leopard shows his battle scars after an 'incident' with the Ravenscourt Male...  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Kelwan Kaiser.
Battered and bruised.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Willie Pienaar.
River rocks male looking in bad condition after a recent fight. He’s gonna look bad ass with the scars..  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credit Jordan Dannhauser. Very sad news this morning. Last night Tingana killed yet another female leopard on Buffelshoek. This time it was the young relaxed female that got her name during the week - Miyela. Her mother is the very skittish female that we often see in Buffelshoek. We believe that Gijima is the father. It happened on the junction of Dolerite Road and Cruse cutline, Buffelshoek. My son Ruan Dannhauser saw it happened. This morning he went back there to take photos of the leopard for identification pusposes. Beween myself and Charl Weitz we are in agreement that it is Miyela. Images by Ruan Dannhauser, November 17, 2018
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to James Tyrrell - Londolozi.
The Leopard And The Porcupine: Note: The Kaxane male has sadly since succumbed to old age and passed away. This post was written roughly a week before his death. We will run a tribute post to him on the blog soon. If a male leopard makes it to old age, it is more than likely he will spend his latter years eking out a less glamorous existence than he did in his prime. He is unlikely to be territorial in his dotage, and rapidly advancing muscle deterioration means that he won’t be able to hold territory, and will inevitably become a nomad. So it is with the Kaxane male, who has been spending his time in Londolozi’ central areas, and has lately been seen very close to the Londolozi Camps.  *This image is copyright of its original author Along with a decline in physicality comes a correlated decline in hunting prowess, and old leopards tend to operate very much on a take-what-they-can-get basis. Creatures that wouldn’t normally be high on a leopard’s menu suddenly assume gourmet status, as the fleet-footed impalas that once formed the staple of the cat’s diet become almost impossible to catch. Porcupines are one such animal. Their long, sharp quills make them a formidable prey species, and there are many cases of both leopards and lions dying after getting a porcupine hunt wrong. A quill to the eye can mean instant blindness, and a number of quills embedded in the skin can lead to potentially fatal infection. No one saw the Kashane male actually catch the porcupine, but he was found in the morning with part of the carcass hoisted in a Tamboti tree that was growing out of the side of a large termite mound. Seldom in the bush is it as easy to paint the picture of what had happened as it was in this instance. At the base of the Tamboti tree the bark had been completely chewed off. Tambotis are big favourites of porcupines, and it was clear to everyone that the porcupine had been engrossed in its bark meal when the leopard happened along. We aren’t sure which direction the leopard came from, but a good bet would be over the top of the mound, where his approach would have been hidden. The base of the Tamboti tree on which the porcupine had been feeding.  *This image is copyright of its original author A leopard’s – or any predator’s for that matter – best tactic when trying to avoid a porcupine’s potentially lethal quills is to flip it on its back to attack the soft and exposed underbelly. To counter this a porcupine will try and face rear-on to its would-be attacker, rattling its quills in intimidation and occasionally rushing backwards at it/them in an attempt to stab. Have a look at this incredible video filmed by Londolozi Ranger Lucien Beaumont of one porcupine’s encounter with the Mhangeni pride: That porcupine got away unscathed, but the one the Kaxane male came across wasn’t so lucky. Porcupines are the world’s seconds largest rodent, so if a leopard can somehow get past their wall of quills, it’s in for a good meal. A pile of quills on top of the termite mound told of where the Kaxane male had methodically plucked his prey, and a long intestine strand adorning the Tamboti tree’s branches showed where the leopard had dragged the carcass up out of reach of hyenas. It’s ironic that the porcupine came to the Tamboti tree for a meal, then ended up being the meal. The leopard carefully feeds on his meal. The small oval of quills discernible below his chin is the porcupine’s tail.  *This image is copyright of its original author Various quill types show of where the porcupine was first fed on.  *This image is copyright of its original author A long strand of intestine dangles from the branches. To the right one can see a piece of the carcass still hanging.  *This image is copyright of its original author The Kaxane male has since been seen spending time in the drainage system to the west of the Londolozi airstrip. There is permanent water there and many nyala and bushbuck; even an ageing leopard would be able to catch a calf unaware. Within a few days of the sighting with the porcupine carcass, the leopard again took centre stage in a confrontation with the Nkoveni female. Check back in early next month for what happened in that sighting…
Credits to James Tyrrell - Londolozi.
The old Kaxane male before his death. This leopard was known across the reserve for his striking eye colour, which is evident here despite the distance.  *This image is copyright of its original author
MALAMALA TODAY: November 26th&27th.
6 leopard sightings: The Island female at her 2 cubs were viewed at their den south of Matshapiri Open Area. The Piccadilly female killed an impala next to MalaMala Camp and was viewed feeding on it with her cub on both days. The Accipiter male was at Drum Crossing. The Three River female was in the Tamboti Thickets. The Nweti male was seen in the south. Other: A pack of 14 Cape hunting dogs was found near Charleston Crossing on both days - we also watched them catch an impala. A herd of Sable antelope were viewed in front of Rattray\u2019s Camp. Many elephant and buffalo sightings were also recorded. Photo of the Island female and her cubs by ranger Nic Nel  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Sundestinations.
Umkumbe Male Leopards Declare War. It Gets Rowdy.: In one corner we have virile and agile youngster Nweti, filled with bravado. In the other corner we have the wise gentleman, Inyathini, filled with experience and stamina. These two testosterone fuelled leopards have declared war, and there’s a prickly tensioned filled atmosphere when we’re in the company of these two contestants. We use the word contestants, because really that’s what they are. What we are witnessing on the outskirts of Umkumbe Safari Lodge is typical male leopard behaviour – a fight over land ownership. Ultimately, this is what causes warfare between male leopards. Which is exactly what’s happening between young Nweti and legend Inyathini. Nweti wants Inyathini’s territory. These are interesting times on the Umkumbe traverse! When a burgeoning young male seeks independence from his mother, he has an innate desire to establish territory of his own. The young males seek a home range to call their own, one that is preferably laden with females and ample prey sources. The dominant male leopard has exclusive breeding rights to the females within his own turf. Unless he is overthrown by another thrill seeking youngster. If under threat, leopards generally flee. But if they’re long established in an area and have the experience of an ageing warlord, they won’t give in without a fight. To make sure leopards from neighbouring regions understand their game plan, the males will scent mark low lying shrubbery, claw parts of trees, and produce guttraal barking calls to advertise their home range. This is what Nweti was doing, but it was on homeground that was ALREADY claimed by aloof legend, Inyathini. Guides at Umkumbe have witnessed the animosity between these two leopards, with plenty of underlying tension becoming more apparent over the past weeks. We’re pretty sure Miles, Geoff and Tanya are keeping an eye on the leopard shenanigans. Who will stay? Who will flee? Will one of them die in a brutal battle? This we cannot predict! Inyathini is an enigma. The luminary has been around for years and is the ultimate loner. He has little known history, but we have established that he wandered over from the Kruger National Park and has since settled into the Sabi Sand. He was aggressive at first but is more relaxed nowadays. It’s clear he came from a hidden enclave of the national park with little activity. Nweti is a young male leopard born and raised in the north west Sabi Sand. He has always been fairly relaxed around vehicles, and oozes confidence. It’s clear that this boy is trying to establish a solid home range. Unfortunately, these things come at a price (ousting others) but it’s a showdown that Nweti is willing to fight. Nweti male.  *This image is copyright of its original author Inyathini male  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Nweti encroached on Inyathini’s stomping ground. A home range that was rightfully his for quite sometime. Older males have been known to tolerate coming-of-age youngsters on the boundaries of their personal traverse but there’s an understanding that the newcomer must cower in shame and leave immediately. Nweti didn’t flee. He stayed. And he even mated with local lass, Ntsumi. A brave move given that he was outside of his jurisdiction. You can only imagine what happened next. A war began to brew between the two males. When the fight eventually broke out, Inyathini walk away with bloodied fur and open wounds. And a deflated sense of pride. It became clear that Nweti had won the battle. He proceeded to mark his new kingdom rather vigorously, and not one low-lying bristly shrub went unmarked. With Inyathini seemingly ousted, we were equipped to see less of the legend. But things are never that black and white in war. While in hiding, Inyathini spent some time nursing his emotional and physical wounds, and came back to claim what was rightfully his land. The old boy looked strong and healthy after his quiet retreat! As it stands, the leopards are back to square one. A Mexican stand-off of sorts. The calls have been heard and there’s plenty of growling happening in the dead of night. We sense that another war is brewing – but for now we monitor the situation closely to see which leopard will emerge victorious!  (11-05-2018, 12:54 AM)Tshokwane Wrote: Credits to Dulini Game Reserve.Really Like this guy. Cousin of the late Mvula, down the maternal line I think. Does anyone have news on him? I was looking for a while and couldn't find anything.  (02-12-2019, 11:10 PM)ShakaMapogo Wrote:(11-05-2018, 12:54 AM)Tshokwane Wrote: Credits to Dulini Game Reserve.Really Like this guy. Cousin of the late Mvula, down the maternal line I think. credits to Ronel Smith Dewane - Western Sabi Sands - 22nd January 2019  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
22/02/2019 Hukumuri male in Djuma.
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Mala Mala today:
8 leopard sightings: The Piccadilly female killed an impala along the banks of the Mlowathi River, just north of its confluence with the Sand River. She was viewed their on both days. The daughter of the Tamboti female was also seen on both days as she finished off her impala kill south of Sable Camp. Both cubs of the Emsagweni female were at Paddy’s Pools. The Senegal Bush male was spotted at Sand Pit Crossing. The Xivindsi female was seen in the south. The Three Rivers female was found at Dudley Crossing. Londolozi: The Ndzanzeni young male is popping up all over the show, now that he seems to be under pressure from his father the Inyathini male to vacate the area. The reality with young males is that once they are properly independent, thy will likely establish themselves in another part of the reserve and we will stop seeing them. Credits: Londolozi, James Tyrrell One of the Ximungwe female’s cubs looks down unavailingly for help. Scrambling round on fallen logs and other obstacles is how these young leopards will hone their climbing skills; they won’t always get it right, but that’s what practice is for. Chances are high that when they need to climb, they will need to climb urgently, so failing when their mother is around to safeguard them is probably the best way to do it for now. [i]The Mashaba female rests next to the warthog kill she had stashed up in a marula tree. The white moustache on this young warthog is theorised to be a fake tusk, buying it an extra half second to escape if a predator hesitates before taking on such a weapon. Clearly that theory didn’t work out for this young pig.[/i] One of the Nhlanguleni female’s cubs bounds across the Sand River to link up with its mother and sister who had already crossed. Watch out for a full post on this sighting coming next week. The Three Rivers female (formerly Xidulu young female) has been featuring prominently in our sightings data over the last couple of months, and the hope is that she establishes a proper territory for herself in Londolozi’s south-eastern corner.
"The Stunning Dayone Male giving us one of his famous walk by's"
Credits: RangerStu24 (IG) |
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