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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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Photo and information credits: Photowildsa
"The West Street male and the Ndzilo female leopard use a massive rocky outcrop in the middle of the Sand river to mate."  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Sean Cresswell, Londolozi.
The powerful Piva male raises his head to a distant sound, giving us the perfect opportunity to capture his profile against the harsh sunlight glow.  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"Maxabeni stopped for a drink of water and spotted a buffalo carcass on the other side…"  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
One of the many king in Sabi Sands. Mvula male. Credits to Michael Dippenaar Wildlife Photographer and Guide.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
What a great shot of Mvula.
Here's another one, from Cheetah Plains. Male leopard, Mvula was located up north again, and he gave us a great view of his wound, which is healing nicely. It doesnt appear to be hindering him at all. Image by Andrew Khosa.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Nyeleti male, credits to Idube Game Reserve.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"Maxabeni made his way down a tree after feeding on a kill."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve, credits to Hugo Breed Wildtography:
"Torchwood keeping an eye on some Impala as another beautiful day comes to an end."  *This image is copyright of its original author
Mvula male. Credits to Jors Dannhauser.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
From Cheetah Plains:
Male leopard Mvula is still spending a lot of time up north! He is extremely relaxed in his new territory and we are so pleased that he has settled and providing such incredible sightings. Image by Andrew Khosa.  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve:
"We were fascinated to watch a big warthog boar approach Kashane male leopard with the utmost confidence. The leopard ignored the warthog as he was already well-fed and rested in some shade."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Umkumbe Safari Lodge.
Guide, Marius, is of the opinion that Mxabene is looking more and more bulky every time they bump into him! This impressive cat has given us some of the best leopard sightings over the years; from hoisting whole impalas up into the branches of trees, to mating with females, and fighting with toms. Mxabene has a long history in this neck of the woods, and we hope to continue seeing this boy for years to come.  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Umkumbe Safari Lodge, 5 Leopards to See at Umkumbe Safari Lodge:
Out of all the leopards whose territories criss-cross through the Umkumbe Safari Lodge traverse in the Sabi Sand, we’ve managed to whittle down the list to a ‘top 5′ for today’s leopard showcase! This region of the Greater Kruger is famous for unbeatable leopard sightings, and rightfully so. There is just no place like the Sabi Sand when it comes to these elusive, rosetted cats, and their reputation for supposedly secretive lives seems a mere myth when you set out on safari at Umkumbe. The known and the unknown, the old legends and the fresh new faces; there is an astounding variety of leopard sightings constantly feeding our big cat desires. Lately, we’ve been introduced to new male leopard, Mambiri, while an unidentified male was also spotted in the area recently, and well known Mxabeni has also been seen scent-marking all over his territory. Another first was Little Bush’s newest cub, a little female, while her older independent cub, Kigelia, was also spotted during the last week. Take a look at this summary of 5 leopards you’ll see at Umkumbe Safari Lodge, photographed by our talented ranger, Marius Zeilinga. Tatowa  *This image is copyright of its original author This green-eyed girl oozes confidence and attitude. She is a real beauty, and it looks like she knows it! We’ve had some very exciting encounters with Tatowa in the past, probably the most outstanding of which was the time she caught an impala in mid air. She is the only surviving cub out of a litter of 4, and is certainly a fighter. We met her when she crossed over from our northern boundary and she’s been a highlight ever since! Her gaze is mesmerising, and watching going about her business is ultra-rewarding, especially when you’ve got a camera at the ready. Kigelia  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Kigelia was named over a year ago after she was referred to as Little Bush cub for the first year of her life. Her name comes from the scientific name for a sausage tree (Kigelia Africana), and she has completely settled into her life as an independent female leopard of the Sabi Sand. She has always had character, and has given us some of the most remarkable photo opportunities, as she reclines on rocky outcrops, or dangles her rosetted legs from her perch in a wonderful, big tree. We’ve watched her stalking all sorts of unconventional prey, from ostriches to squirrels, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching her mature. Mxabene  *This image is copyright of its original author This boy! Mxabene is one of the ‘old legends’. He is known all over the Sabi Sand, and he seems to stick in the minds and hearts of all who get to meet him. He has a signature scar on his top lip, and a handsome face, to top off his powerful build. Guide, Marius, is of the opinion that this male is looking more and more bulky every time they bump into him. This impressive cat has given us some of the best leopard sightings over the years; from hoisting whole impalas up into the branches of trees, to mating with females, and fighting with toms. Mxabene has a long history in this neck of the woods, and we hope to continue seeing this boy for years to come. Little Bush Cub  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Now for the newcomers: Little Bush has revealed to us, for the first time, her female cub! Kigelia is Little Bush’s last cub and is living an independent life alongside her mother’s territory, which is quite the norm for female leopards. Again, Little Bush has had a female, and this youngster is still keeping a low profile, as we can tell by these first images of her. She is lying low, still getting to grips with what it means to be a leopard of the Sabi Sand. They wonderful thing about leopard viewing in this area, is that they leopards learn from a young age to trust the presence of vehicles and people. Here, they young female looked at us, skeptically, from her hiding space in the thicket, but we are hopeful that with time she will mature and come out of her shell. Mambiri  *This image is copyright of its original author We introduced this new face to you last week, when Marius reported that he and his guests enjoyed the presence of a new coming male known as Mambiri! He was confident, and wasted no time feeding himself by landing a successful impala kill in his new territory. We don’t have a comprehensive history on this leopard of the Sabi Sand, but he has been seen very busily marking his scent all over the place. With Mxabene, Bicycle Crossing, Mahlatini, and a handful of other toms we see on the traverse, there is a possibility that a new male could step on some toes! Here, we enjoyed a fantastic sighting of Mambiri tucking into his impala kill, while remaining on high alert.
From Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve, credits to Hugo Breed Wildtography:
"Nyeleti spent some time this morning patrolling in the western part of his territory."  *This image is copyright of its original author
Photo and information credits: Dawie Jacobs from E.p. Rangers.
"Anderson the male leopard, staring at Salayexe and Tiyani approaching his kill"  *This image is copyright of its original author
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