Success can mean many things. A happy life, wealth, a big house, a Ferrari, or maybe simply being able to afford a loaf bread at the end of the week. Depending on where you live or what your background is, measurements of success can vary enormously.
In nature, success means one thing: Reproduction. If you are not able to procure a mate and survive long enough to have offspring, your existence has been, well, pointless…!
This is most certainly the case with the Leopards of Londolozi. Successful big males sire multiple offspring. Successful females raise cubs to independence. Particularly successful leopards have their genes passed on through multiple generations.
Along the Sand River, the lifeblood of the Sabi Sand Reserve and the heart of Londolozi Game Reserve, the bloodline of one particular female leopard has risen to prominence in recent years.
The Sand River is prime territory for leopards, with its access to water, numerous thickets for concealment and an abundant supply of game, and the lineage of the Sunset Bend female is currently firmly in control of a large section of this valuable river frontage.
Sunset Bend Female was born in August 1992 and provided some unbelievable Leopard viewing at Londolozi until her death in 2010.
The Sunset Bend Lineage
Running from west to east across Londolozi, the Tutlwa, Vomba, Mashaba and Xidulu females reign supreme over their much-coveted Sand River. The Tamboti female holds territory further east, also on the river, and is regularly seen within Londolozi’s borders. All are beautiful leopards with rich golden coats. All are related. All are part of the Sunset Bend bloodline.
The Tutlwa female scans the clearings north of the Sand River from the boughs of a marula tree.
Sunset bend was famous for her rich golden coat. Her offspring, and her offspring’s offspring also display this beautiful trait. With the exception of the Tamboti female, all the above-mentioned leopardesses currently have cubs. Vomba has 1, a male. Mashaba is still caring for a single cub from an original litter of at least 2. After the recent post by Adam Bannister announcing the Tutlwa female’s pregnancy, a tiny litter of 3 was discovered in the Manyelethi riverbed, although we believe she has since moved den-sites. As well as this, her previous litter of 2 (now aged almost 2yrs), are both now independent. The Xidulu female we believe is still caring for a single cub slightly east of our boundary.
The Vomba female moves her still unrelaxed cub towards the relative safety of a drainage line, a bare 300m from the Londolozi Camps
The bloodline of the original Mother Leopard of Londolozi has relatively few individuals that we still view regularly. The Nottens and Dudley Riverbank females are still around, but a number of their recent offspring are males who have either dispersed or are currently dispersing. Nottens and DRB inhabit the southern sections of the reserve, and sightings of both are relatively infrequent. Nottens is turning 18 this year and will most likely not be alive much longer. Dudley Riverbank is about to turn 15 and is still rearing what will most likely be her last cub.
The Mashaba female looks up from the remains of an impala kill.
Is this a turning point in the dominant genes of the leopards of Londolozi? Maybe.
What is not answered for sure is the question of Sunset Bend’s mother. It has long been claimed that she was the daughter of the Tugwaan female and possibly even the sister of the legendary 3:4 female, but this is not 100% established and there are a few who disagree.
Born to the Tugwaan female in August 1992, this leopard would redefine the relationship between man and wild cat.
The Vomba female flattens her ears and lowers her profile as she stalks a herd of impala near Taylor’s Dam
If Sunset Bend was indeed the Tugwaan female’s daughter, she was also then the granddaughter of the original Mother Leopard, and her genes – and as such the genes of the leopard that launched Londolozi into the world-famous relationship it enjoys with leopards – are stronger today than they ever have been…
Written and photographed by James Tyrrell
![Xinkhova Female On Termite Mound In Rain [rcb]](https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/14140220/Xinkhova-female-on-termite-mound-in-rain-RCB-280x178.jpg)
Check the old Eco Guide (vol 2) from 2000. Grant Bodley wrote about the 2/2 female who was rarely seen as she spent most of her time on Mala Mala but was the sister of 3/4 female. In my years at Londolozi where we saw substantially more of her, she became known as the Sunset Bend Female. Also see the 2002 volume regarding the leopards by Greg Seymore and Warren Pearson. I was never aware that there was any doubt about her lineage.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comments.
For us, it has always been accepted that the 2:2 female became Sunset Bend, but given the conjecture of neighbouring reserves, we felt we should clear it up a bit.
To be honest, the post should really be about the success Marthly male, who we believe has fathered the litters of Mashaba, Tutlwa and Vomba, as well as the Ximpalapala female of the north who still has 2 cubs surviving from a litter of 3.
The Camp Pan male by comparison, who the Marthly male ousted, has had no mating success that we are aware of since the Maxabene female gave birth to two young males in 2008, both of whom are still around today.
Xidulu/Kikilezi also has a daughter, about three years old, who was the star of a spectacular impala hunt that went viral on youtube a few months ago. She’s one to watch!
Wasn’t the River female lineage (maxabeni, mangeni) part of the mother leopard lineage?
Question: Was Sunset Bend the litter mate of the 3:4 female? Or was she a younger sister? It is amazing (but very believable) that both are granddaughters of the original Mother leopard.
Xidulu is raising a 10 month old male cub to the east. He is believed to be the son of the Dudley Riverbank 5:5 male. In addition, the independent daughter, mentioned by Danny, still resides in her mother’s eastern territory. This entertaining young leopardess is driving Xidulu crazy and may get evicted soon. Perhaps she will seek territory in Londolozi over the next few months.
Campbell Koppies has another surviving daughter from 2004 litter. Both daughters have territories adjacent to hers, I think, further north and east of Londolozi.
The Marthly male may be the most successful male reproducing with the Sunset Bend daughters and grandaughters. However, Camp Pan is still the father of Mashaba female. And she seems like a force to be reckoned with!
Hi Brian,
Thank you for the interesting facts about the leopards in the area, lets hope some take up territory in Londolozi, always great to see new faces! With regards to your question, there are many views on whether the Sunset Bende 2:2 leopard was a littler mate of 3:4. There was a leopard in 3:4’s litter that had a 2:2 spot pattern as far as I know, and there are many that believe that this was Sunset Bend due to the fact that she was a similar age and held similar territory. There are differing views on this depending on who you are talking to.
Thank you for your support on the blog!
Regards,
Kate
Thank you for this wonderful post. What an amazing lineage. I hope they are decendents of the Mother leopard, but even if they weren’t they are magnificent!