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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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Umkumbe Safari Lodge:
Mxabene takes a casual stroll and patrols his turf. He was seen marking his territory and even strolled straight past the Umkumbe game viewer with not a care in the world.  *This image is copyright of its original author The Bicycle Crossing male is definitely making his present more dominant. He has been rolling in buffalo dung and grooming himself. Their territories intersect at the Sand River, which runs in front of the lodge, but they don’t overlap. Male leopards guard their territory against other males but their traverse overlaps with, on average, 3/4 females.  *This image is copyright of its original author The Bicycle Crossing Male relaxing in the open.  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Inyati Game Lodge:
"Torchwood made a kill deep in dewane's territory. Luckily for him two hyena stole his kill moments after i took this picture and he was forced to move on."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Leopardess resting on marula tree. Xikhavi female just taking a break during the hunting session."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Other photos from Umkumbe: Maxabeni  *This image is copyright of its original author Bicycle Crossing male  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits: JRD Photography "Female leopard Karula on her duiker kill - Sabi Sand"  *This image is copyright of its original author From Tintswalo Lodges, photo credits: Christof Schoeman "Rhulani male leopard was found on civet road in the North perched perfectly in a dry tree catching a late afternoon nap! He is in great condition but does have a nasty cut on his front left paw."  *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
From Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve, photo credits Hugo Breed Wildtography:
"Yesterday afternoon we followed up on a Kudu alarm calling. We then found Xikavi were she had a fresh Impala kill. Dayone was also close by and eventually stole the kill from her."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Dam 3 female having a nap after her dinner."  *This image is copyright of its original author From Idube Game Reserve: Hlab'nkunzi's son  *This image is copyright of its original author From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve: "We found the Hlarulini female again this morning and she gave us an amazing show as she ascended several different trees to get a better vantage on a herd of impala she was stalking. She made her moves between a bachelor herd of buffalo and after a few failed attempts, took the time to rest and drink with the buffalo standing there watching her closely."  *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  *This image is copyright of its original author
Piva/Treehouse male. Photo by ranger Jo Welman, Mala Mala Game Reserve.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"The Lisbon female and her son were found moving early this morning with both looking in great condition!"  *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 Tasselberry female  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits: PJD Photography and Guiding "Big male Leopard, Mvula resting up in a tree yesterday afternoon. What a sight it was. He came down after a while and moved towards a termite hill where he rested for a while."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Idube Game Reserve:
Hlab'nkunzi's son  *This image is copyright of its original author Dewane  *This image is copyright of its original author From Inyati Game Lodge: "Dewane was patrolling his territory, he has just come from a kill and is looking for some action!"  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits: PJD Photography and Guiding "Just love this female leopard, Inkanyeni. For last two days she has been active around the lodge and every time we find her she is resting up in a tree."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"The White Dam female and her youngster were found to have hoisted an African Civet up a tree. By this morning they’d finished off the last of their kill and spent most of the morning relaxing in the shade."  *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 From Idube Game Reserve: Scotia  *This image is copyright of its original author Xikavi  *This image is copyright of its original author Mvula, one of the most beautiful leopards in Sabi Sands. Photo and information credits: Images in Africa Safaris "After 14 days being on Safari in Sabi Sands we finally ran into Mvula miles from what used to be his territory. He now has no territory and is a nomadic male. For an old leopard he is looking exceptionally well."  *This image is copyright of its original author "One of my favorite leopards. Mvula, the "Old Man" of the bush, comes out of the shadows"  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Umlani Bushcamp:
"Nyeleti, living up to her name of star, stole the show yesterday lying up in a tree with her kill."  *This image is copyright of its original author "Ranger Andrew managed to get this photo of Nyeleti up in a dead tree a week ago, a truly special sighting well captured."  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits: Rouxlé Jooste Wildlife & Nature Photography "Marula Female just posing perfectly as usual"  *This image is copyright of its original author
 Something I re-posted on google plus yesterday from the fantastic Tusk photo:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+TuskphotoInternational Elephant Plains Safari: Anderson Male Wants his Kill … (All images from Back of Brendon Cremer’s Camera) Fanus Weldhagen Reports: There was great excitement at lunchtime when everyone arrived, looking forward to experiencing the bush after the recent plentiful rains. We set out after a quick briefing, eager to check on a pack of Wild Dogs that we heard about as we arrived. We found the dogs lying close to a dam overlooking a large plain, and remained with them until the sun started to approach the horizon and they started to move around. We followed as they ran, listened, checked their surroundings, and then ran on – and on, keen to find something to hunt, but without too much luck. We were on our way to a suitable stopping point for our sundowners when we spotted a stately Kudu bull on a termite mound, silhouetted beautifully against the evening sky. At our sundowner stop we heard that some Hyenas had been spotted with a kill, so we headed there without hesitation. Sundowners were totally forgotten as we found the clan of eleven Hyenas with quite a large Wildebeest kill. Naturally we stopped for photographs – and as we did so we almost immediately noticed that the behaviour of the animals was rather unusual. They were extremely skittish, looking around furtively, jumping at any sound, and showing signs of quite a bit of anxiety. Then the cause came into view. Anderson Male, a humungous, very handsome Leopard, was circling around – and around – and around, and he watched each movement made by the Hyenas. Oho, we thought. The plot thickens! This must be Anderson Male’s kill, and the Hyenas have pinched it from him, and he wants to grab any chance to get it back. (No-one can be absolutely sure, but that is the most likely scenario). So Anderson Male continued his circling, unnerving the Hyenas as he did so, until he retired to a nearby tree to continue his unsettling vigilance from above. There you have it! As you can see, our latest safari has started with a bang! Tomorrow we wil probably dash straight to the Hyenas and Leopard to see how the situation develops over night …  *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 Elephant Plains Safari: Another Incredible Day …
Brendon Cremer Reports: We headed out early as usual, wanting to follow up on Salayexe and her cub again. While searching for them we found some rhino again, and then even more buffalo bulls – as well as some fabulous birds like Wahlberg’s Eagles, Martial Eagles, Bateleurs - and a Lilac-breasted Roller that even posed beautifully for us … Then we heard that Salayexe’s cub had been spotted so we went straight there, and found her sprawled out on a termite mound. We spent quite some time with her, in fact for the remainder of the morning, taking dozens of photographs of the beautiful leopard. At times, as she moved, she was out of sight, but luckily she quickly moved back into full view again. In the afternoon we headed to an area where we heard that wild dogs had been reported. It didn’t take us long to find them. They were lying in a lovely shaded area – not the best area for fabulous photographs but we managed some pretty decent images nonetheless. So, having seen the Big 5, plus cheetahs, it was a real treat to see the dogs as well. We spent ages with the dogs, but they were not keen to move around, so we decided to move on … We found fresh leopard tracks and thinking, or hoping that they belonged to Salayexe we followed them, but instead we found one of Nsele’s cubs. She is 2 years old now, and is very seldom seen – and when the rare spotting takes place she is invariably in dense undergrowth - so we were extra pleased to enjoy the special sighting. We remained with her until she disappeared into the dense foliage. We continued our search for Salayexe, and finally found her. We followed her as she wandered along, and as darkness set in she went to lie on a termite mound and alternately slept or looked at us with her head bent back, looking at us from her upside down position. All in all we captured some amazing photographs – not only today – each day has been rewarding beyond expectations. Tomorrow morning will be our final game drive for yet another incredible visit to Elephant Plains …  *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 Elephant Plains Safari: Salayexe, Her Cub, and a Kill …
News from Villiers Steyn: As we woke up we could hear baboons alarm calling nonstop so we suspected that lions or leopards were out hunting in the predawn darkness. As we left the Lodge, and before it was starting to get light we found Salayexe near a waterhole. She was on a mission, clearly heading out on a hunt, but we managed some pretty decent shots of her meandering along, walking towards us and alongside our vehicles before she disappeared into the growth. She looked quite thin and definitely hungry – and a Spotted Hyena was following her closely – maybe a bit too closely in fact. The hyena made it very difficult for her to stalk and hunt anything even though she showed great interest in a Bushbuck ram and then some impala. The hyena continually blew her cover. When we eventually lost her we continued to see what else would be available for us to see and photograph. We found the 5 Birmingham Males (lions). If you recall we saw that huge herd of buffalo yesterday, and at some stage the lions had taken one and were feeding. We photographed as three of the males fed, although they were partially obscured at times by foliage. We were close enough to capture images of their eyes, teeth, and bloody faces. It was as impressive to listen to them crunching bones and continually growling at each other. From there we headed back to camp, stopping for Waterbuck, White-backed Vultures, a large herd of zebras and later to watch termites up close rebuilding their nests. We also took some macro shots of the huge umbrella-shaped mushrooms that have sprung up overnight. When we left the Lodge this afternoon we were discussing the optimal settings for photographing a leopard walking towards one (which can be quite tricky), when lo and behold, there came Salayexe and her cub strolling down the road directly towards us. So we were able to put into practice what we had just discussed. We realised that they were heading towards the drinking hole near the Lodge, and quickly dashed there – in time to see them arrive. They were in beautiful golden light as they walked towards the water. As they drew closer, a hippo leaped out of the water and ran away as the leopards approached. We left the duo to visit the hyena den, where the small pup was lying at the entrance to the den. We captured some great shots there again. A large storm was building up, so we slowly headed back to the Lodge. On the way we saw elephants – notably a female that crossed the road ahead of us followed by three very interested bulls … one even carried a large branch for her, like a bouquet of flowers to woo his lady. When we caught up with Salayexe and her cub they were busy with an impala carcass. She had made the kill during the day and had been out to fetch her cub. Unfortunately, as they settled down to eat, a large Spotted Hyena arrived and chased the two away. So we got images of the hyena eating while the two leopards looked on from the branches of a tree. They were up the tree to keep an eye on their kill, and hopefully return to their meal. And we plan to return to the same spot in the morning …  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"The Hlarulini female was seen yesterday around Bush Lodge looking for a meal. We observed her stalking a steenbok, but she gave up after being spotted so she decided to rest up a Marula Tree instead."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Son of Mbavala/Vin Diesel. "We found the massive Mandleve male leopard this morning after being lead to a hoisted impala by a Tawny Eagle and a hyena. We haven’t seen him in a while, but he is looking great and getting to be as big as his father."  *This image is copyright of its original author From Cheetah Plains Private Game Reserve: "Male leopard, Tingana was located in Torchwood, looking very well fed. On further investigation, we located a kill that he had made, but we were unable to get any images of him feeding." Images by Andrew Khosa  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo and information credits: Robin Hester Photography "A bus of a male leopard called Tingana, Northern Sabi sands."  *This image is copyright of its original author From Idube Game Reserve: Hlab'nkunzi's son  *This image is copyright of its original author Xikavi  *This image is copyright of its original author Dewane with a kudu kill  *This image is copyright of its original author From Mala Mala Game Reserve: "The Airstrip male and the Treehouse had an altercation today and it seemed as though the latter came off on top!"  *This image is copyright of its original author
Amazing shot of Anderson male, thanks @Majingilane.
Other updates of Anderson male, look at his neck, second photo. He is a monster!! Photo and information credits: Tusk Photo Elephant Plains Safari: Anderson Male Wants his Kill … - 23 April 2016 (All images from Back of Brendon Cremer’s Camera) Fanus Weldhagen Reports: "There was great excitement at lunchtime when everyone arrived, looking forward to experiencing the bush after the recent plentiful rains. We set out after a quick briefing, eager to check on a pack of Wild Dogs that we heard about as we arrived. We found the dogs lying close to a dam overlooking a large plain, and remained with them until the sun started to approach the horizon and they started to move around. We followed as they ran, listened, checked their surroundings, and then ran on – and on, keen to find something to hunt, but without too much luck. We were on our way to a suitable stopping point for our sundowners when we spotted a stately Kudu bull on a termite mound, silhouetted beautifully against the evening sky. At our sundowner stop we heard that some Hyenas had been spotted with a kill, so we headed there without hesitation. Sundowners were totally forgotten as we found the clan of eleven Hyenas with quite a large Wildebeest kill. Naturally we stopped for photographs – and as we did so we almost immediately noticed that the behaviour of the animals was rather unusual. They were extremely skittish, looking around furtively, jumping at any sound, and showing signs of quite a bit of anxiety. Then the cause came into view. Anderson Male, a humungous, very handsome Leopard, was circling around – and around – and around, and he watched each movement made by the Hyenas. Oho, we thought. The plot thickens! This must be Anderson Male’s kill, and the Hyenas have pinched it from him, and he wants to grab any chance to get it back. (No-one can be absolutely sure, but that is the most likely scenario). So Anderson Male continued his circling, unnerving the Hyenas as he did so, until he retired to a nearby tree to continue his unsettling vigilance from above. There you have it! As you can see, our latest safari has started with a bang! Tomorrow we wil probably dash straight to the Hyenas and Leopard to see how the situation develops over night …"  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author The proof of the strength of this big leopard: Elephant Plains Safari: A Buffalo up a Tree? - 26 April 2016 [Anderson Male Strikes Again!] (All images from Back of Brendon Cremer’s Camera) Fanus Weldhagen Reports: "Early this morning, in fact soon after leaving the Lodge, we came across two hyenas on a mission. An adult female with a youngster were trotting and running along in a fixed direction and with determination. Were they hunting, we wondered as we decided to follow them. They kept going, eventually slowing to a walk – and then they reached their destination where they proceeded to loiter around and rest for quite some time. The site was an old hyena den, which made us think that maybe they were on a scouting mission to find a new home for the younger generation? Maybe? Then we heard that Anderson Male, that huge leopard, was in the vicinity with a buffalo in a tree. ‘A what?’ We asked again. ‘A buffalo’ came the reply. Scarcely able to credit what we had just heard we went directly to the spot. Sure enough! There was Anderson Male! And yes! That was definitely a buffalo up there. A calf, sure, but not a tiny one. That just shows how big and powerful this leopard is. We saw buffalo tracks everywhere, and putting the sequence of events together we realised that Anderson Male must have found the buffalo herd sleeping, and undaunted by their sheer number and huge size, had made a kill at some stage during the night. We could hear a female buffalo calling, calling, calling. This could only be the bereft mother searching for her calf. While we were photographing this amazing scene a Vine Snake came slithering along. It hung around long enough for plenty of photographs. We moved on after a while and soon bumped into Salayexe. She was as cooperative as ever as she walked along marking her territory. We returned to Salayexe after our lunch break and rest, and during the afternoon she was even more fabulous. She climbed tree after tree. Up one, then down, then up the next, down and up the next – on and on. Eventually the lovely leopard climbed a particularly large tree and remained there as the light faded, giving everyone a chance to practice with different light levels and how to adapt to spotlights and flash photography in the bush. After sundowners we returned to Anderson Male. He relaxed comfortably at the bottom of the tree with his kill way up in the branches. He ignored us completely as we filled our cameras with even more images. Tomorrow we would like to start the day at Anderson Male to check whether any intruders arrive overnight …"
From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"The Mandleve male seemed full of confidence last night as he jumped out the tree where his meal was safely hoisted to follow up on impala calling in the distance."  *This image is copyright of its original author From Idube Game Reserve: "Dewane watching a Majingilane eat his kudu"  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Torchwood male  *This image is copyright of its original author From Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve: "The Nyeleti male watches as some Hyenas feed on the kill that he made. Hlaba Nkunzi's cub dropped it out of the tree and the Hyenas seized the moment!"  *This image is copyright of its original author "Xikavi's Male Cub found a vantage point with a beautiful view of his surroundings."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author From Cheetah Plains Private Game Reserve: "Field Guide, Andrew Khosa and his guests spent some time with female leopard, Karula and her two cubs. They were resting up a tree close to philemons cutline! Images by Andrew Khosa"  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
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