37 Comments

on A Leopard Update

Join the conversationJoin the conversation

Member
Guest

Hi,

thank you very much for this update.
I would like to make a comment.

The brother of the Makothini Male and son of the Maxabeni female, has established territory in his fathers territory in the south eastern parts of Londolozi as well as east of our boundary, where he is known as the Airstrip Male.

This is not correct, he is known as the Newington male. and the Dudley Riverbank 5:5 Male: is known as the Airstrip male.

I have a question. If you had to rank the males in size ( weight), how would they rank?
My pick would be:

1-Camp Pan 9 but past his prime)
2-Marthly Male 3:2: tie with Khaxani Male 3:3: ( good genes from his father) and tie with Mhangeni Male:( but way past his prime)
3-Tugwaan Male 5:4:
4- Tu Tones Male 3:2: but still filling out ( bigger than his brother)
5-Makothini Male 3:3:
6-Gowrie Male 2:2: ( tall, but not that massive)
7-Dudley Riverbank 5:5 Male: ( not that big but with a attitude)

Do not know the other newcomers

MD thanks for your comment and the information, I have since updated the incorrect information. Interesting line up of males, we will have a bit of a discussion with the team and send our opinion through!
Mike

Member
Guest

Hello,

thanks for this informative update on the current leopard population.
Regarding the Mhangeni Male, is he 4 or 14 years old? Isn’t he the Sandriver Male?

Regards,
Dan

Member
Guest

Dan, thanks for your note, I have changed it, was a slight gramatical error! He is close to 14, just older than Camp Pan.!
Mike

Member
Guest

Dan, in response to your second question, yes, he is also known as the Sand River male in the Southern sections of the reserve.
James

Member
Guest

Hi,

Thanks for this excellent blog, love keeping up with the leopards after our visits in 2011 and 2012.

I can only see one glaring absence on the male side and I wonder if there is any knowledge of what’s happened to the Short-tailed male aka “Shorty?” We had a wonderful sighting of him in 2011. I might be wrong but from the description it sounds like he may have been renamed the Tugwaan male?

Thanks, Charlie

Member
Guest

Comprehensive update with great images as well. thanks a lot Mike.

Member
Guest

So interesting…thanks for providing this information, although I will never keep it all straight! The Nanga female and her little cub remain my favorite. She provided fantastic viewing with her two cubs in September 2013. I will never forget that little family!

Member
Guest

Hi Mike. Thanks so much for the great update. Just a comment on your info on the Tugwaan Male. I know this leopard as the Short Tail young male. He is the son of the Short Tail Female (who really had the tip of her tail missing) who had a territory in the north on Marthly. She is not the same female as the Tugwaan Female. Short tail was a relaxed female leopard who gave us lots of good viewing in the North. Tugwaan female was a completely different leopard. She was very aggresive at times and at times completely relaxed with the vehicles. She was the daughter of the original Mother leopard and actually featured in Lex’s book in the family tree at the end. She is named Tugwaan female in the family tree. She was the mother of the famous Three Four Female. Short tail Young Male/Bicycle Crossing Male was definitely not Tugwaan’s son. Just wanted to clarify. I worked at Londolozi for ten years ad a guide and wad privileged to know all of the leopards I just mentioned very well. Love all the news on them from you. Keep it coming.

Member
Guest

Thank you so much Maxine will be sure to update that, all the information is much appreciated!

Member
Guest

Thank you for the update. Each leopard is so special and unique. I remember seeing the young Mashaba female when she was a little one. Happy to know she is thriving.

Member
Guest

Hi again Mike. Would love it if you could answer this question for me. The leopard you call the Mhangeni male… is he the same Mhangeni male that I knew in my time at Londolozi? He was the son of the Mhanghen female who was the mother of the Mxabene female???? Would love to know the answer to that. If it is him then a strange coincidence because his mom also had a clouded over eye. Not when I first knew her, only after she left her tertitory to her daughter Mxabene and moved west onto Singita. She was spat at by a Spitting Cobra and had a rough time learning to hunt again with vision in only one eye!

Member
Guest

Hi Maxine,

Yes, the Mhangeni male is the Mhangeni female’s son. We are not sure exactly what happened to his eye, but given the pressure he has been under in the south, we suspect it may have occured during a spat with another male.

James T

Member
Guest

Hi Mike. Me again! Another quick question. When did the Nottens female die? Would love to know what age she got to as she had such a long lived mum and grandmother. I am especially interested in this girl as her mum was very very special to me! Thanks so much for the recent pic of Dudley Riverbank. Can’t believe how much she is looking like her mother these days. Some of my best Londolozi memories are the many many happy game drives spent watching her and her brother grow up. A special family to be sure!!!

Member
Guest

Hi Mike. Another question. Sorry you will get sick of my questions soon I am sure, but these leopards were the most important part of my life for so long that I crave info on them. What had become of the male born to the Dudley Riverbank Female who was raised by Three Four? Any news on him?

Member
Guest

Hi Maxine! i follow these leopards a lot i believe you are you are reffering to Dudley 5:5 / Airstrip mentioned with the male leopards

Member
Guest

What a wonderful and interesting blog.. I love learning about all the different leopards..
Thank you for sharing!

Member
Guest

Another quick comment. The Marthly Male is Short Tail/Bicycle Crossing Male’s dad. We used to call Marthly Male 3:2 North.

Member
Guest

Hi Mike, thanks for the updates.

Max it is the Mhangen Young Male from 2000. He had some obvious spots within the whisker lines. I am sure I saw him in November in the Kruger Park near Kruger Gate, not many large male leopards with one blue eye? Are you referring to the 3:2 North Male as the Manyaleti male (originally the Pale face Male) as Short tail Young males father? I know he was removed from a camp to the east (not surprised?) and was put down so he is not the Marthly Male . In terms of Shorty’s father, I saw the Tugwaan male (the original Tugwaan female’s son) mating with short tail and am convinced he fathered the short tailed young male (look at the complexities of both of their spot patterns and the darker colouring compared to the pale Manyaleti male).

Interesting to note that some of us old rangers are sure that the Ximpalapala Female 4:4 is the sister of Shorty new Tugwaan male. I have the spot pattern that could easily be 4:4 as the two spots on each side are almost joined much like her brother I found a picture of her and will send it to anyone at Londoz who is interested.

Sad that all the old ladies have passed just the Dudley River Bank left; however, no shortage of leopards, highest viewable density in Africa, an unbelievable history of leopards on one place!

You can see who is bored in the office this morning!

Member
Guest

Greg, thank you for your comment, and the information! To you and Maxine, the Nottens female recently vanished at the age of 18 yrs and 1 month approximately, there should be a blog in her honour soon. Will try get some more info regarding the Mhangeni male and let you all know. Greg, my email is mikesuth87@gmail.com, if you would send that picture of what you think is the Ximpalapala female, that would be much appreciated!
Mike

Member
Guest

Really looking forward to the blog on Nottens. Thanks Mike. I was at Londoz last year in April for five days and Richard did his best to find both of Three Four’s girls for me, but both Nottens and Dudley Riverbank were being elusive. Had wonderful sightings of Vomba and Vomba young male though. Sad to think that Vomba is gone too! 🙁

Member
Guest

Thanks Greg. I thought it was him but my pics of him have all dissapeared and couldn’t remember the spot pattern. I wad confused about 3:2 North and Marthly Male. Wasn’t sure if they were one and the same because we had awesome viewing if 3:2 North in 2009 but nothing since. Weird but I had 3:2 North in my records as Shorty’s dad??? Don’t remember the Tugwaan male connection at all.

Member
Guest

Hi again Greg. Are you sure about the Tugwaan connection with Shorty? I had so many amazing sightings of 3:2 North with Short tailed female and her two cubs (shorty and his sister) when they were little. And then a number of sightings of shorty and 3:2 North sharing kills after his independence from mom. As well as a sighting of these two males both mating with one female at the same time with no signs of aggression between them at all!

Member
Guest

Hi Mike.
Great update. Would it be possible to see a family tree that continues from the one in Lex’s book.
See you in June.

Member
Guest

Whew! What a great update, packed full of photos and new info.
I am sad to hear about the passing of Nottens female. RIP, she was a remarkable old lady leopard–
looking forward to seeing her tribute.
I think the Malilwane Female (aka Kwatile or Mlowathi Female elsewhere) was fathered by the “old” Gowrie Male, known as Mafufunyane in the North and East. In 2011, he was displaced by the “new” Gowrie Male with the striking orange-amber eyes (aka Lamula in the North and East).
So, she is not really mating with her father.

Thanksso much Brian, that is now making sense, I will update it shortly!
Mike

Member
Guest

Hello Mike and Brian C

Old Gowrie male/Mafufunyane male died in the last days of December 2011. The photo I saw of him is of a dying old man by Cedric Dold taken on 23 Dec 2011.

The old Man that is still called affectionately MuffDad was declared dead in January 2012. At the same reunion his old mate of so many years Safari female, who had not been seen since September 2011, has been officially declared dead.

And Long Live Mafufunyane male and Safari female in the memories. Their son, Matimba male, is now called Fountains Tom at Ngala in the Timbavati where he is Dominant. His son, by Ntsusu female, Rhulani male of Manyeleti, is carving a large territory for himself at 4 years old, pushing southernly the big Beacon male (son of Beacon female and Jordaan’s/Yambilu-Jordaan male born early in 2005). And they have several grandchildren and great-grandchildren by Karula female sired by Jordaan’s male and more recently in Dec 2012 by Mvula male. Two of their grandsons by Karula female, Induna male and Mixo male (born in Nov 2008) are living in the South of Manyeleti for Induna and in the Mluwati Concession for Mixo. A grandson by Karula female, Xivambalana (born in Nov 2010), is soon to become nomadic … well, I hope; and one of their great-grandson, Wabayiza male, born in Nov 2010, to Thandi female (daughter of Karula female) and sired by Mvula male, will also leave his homeland soon.

A last note : Mafufunyane male/Old Gowrie male/Paradise Valley female son was sired by Rock Drift male aka Tjololo.

Sorry, for being so long … but, I really don’t want these great leopards of a recent past to be forgotten and stored in the attic, like too many of the leopards of the North of the Sabi Sand.

Claire-M.

Member
Guest

Hi Max,
Yes I also remember all these leopards together but saw both males mating with her prior to her giving birth, the more recent mating was with the Tugwaan male before she gave birth. Just my thoughts and interesting that Shorty is now called the Tugwaan male.

Member
Guest

I can not think of a more regal animal than the leopard! The post has made the anticipation of our trip much more poignant .

Member
Guest

Mike, thanks for the update. I have Greg’s pic of Short-tails female cub and a picture of Xipalapala female when I saw her in July 2013. I have put a story together of when Doc and I found the cubs with Short-tail. Just waiting on one more pic and I will send it to you…you can use the evidence to see if Short tail legacy live on at Xipalapala….Max and Greg, you guys only ever drove on Dudley, this must be the 1st time you are seeing these other leopards….

Member
Guest

Me again…I am sorry that a leopard called Zeta didn’t hang around longer. She was often seen in the clearings in front of camp. Sasekile Yingwe clearing was named after her. She had a beautiful golden coat, prettier than Vomba and she was named after Catherine Zeta Jones…

Member
Guest

GREAT BLOG THANKS!!

Member
Guest

Great blog! Thank you so much, Mike, for this update and for including Torchwood male as part of it.

Thanks also to James Tyrrell, md, Maxine, Greg, Bryan C, Oliver, for your interesting comments.

I’m sad to learn the death of Nottens female. She has certainly left an invaluable souvenir in the young Torchwood male memory. Your blog about her will be very welcomed for me.

Thanks once again, for this blog, Mike!

Claire-M.

Member
Guest

The unknown 4:4 young male is seen up in the North quite often. He is also very aggressive with the vehicles and is known as the young Robson’s male. He was first sighted in the north western parts close to Picanini Utah corner in December 2011 and he has been seen along the Othawa cutline quite often ever since.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Simbambili-Game-Lodge/187389121392151

Member
Guest

Maxine, Greg (and others). it is so nice earing news from you (Maxine: I hope you are still playing with elephants; I remember you have special connexions with them). But the end of Nottens is such a sad new! Not a surprise, indeed. But extremely sad. Warm regards to you (By the way the new names of leopards are quite confusing. For exemple the New Maliliwane 2:2 is the New Mlowathi female, but the old Maliliwane -3:3; probably the mother of Seshuana- was also called Mlowathi female at MM. My suggestion would be to call them New Maliliwane and New Mlowathi or to use the first denomination; in this case Kwatile…I am not sure also that it is a good idea to change frequetly the name of the cat, like in the case of Shorty male: Short tail young male, Bicycle Crossing, Shorty, Lex male and now Tugwaan…)

Connect with Londolozi

Follow Us

One moment...
Anonymous
Be the first to this photo
You and 1 others this photo
q

Filed under
Anonymous
10 April, 2798
+
Add Profile