The life of the Tamboti young female has been an animated one, followed from only a few weeks old we have seen a cub develop into an incredibly beautiful young female. From the start her inquisitive nature has been apparent and even more so in the last few months. She is growing in not only confidence but also wisdom and showing signs of maturity that will serve her well in the future.
Life over the last year has been relatively smooth going. The Tamboti female, her mother, has proved to be an excellent guardian in an incredibly dangerous part of the reserve. Her territory falls right in the heart of the Sparta pride’s territory and a large hyena den is not too far off but despite this she has managed to successfully raise a cub from her litter of March 2013. The Tamboti young female has eaten from her mother’s kills and was shown exactly where to drink, learning every inch of what could eventually be part of her own territory. Watching her skillful mother hunt she learnt invaluable skills that she would later use and perfect.
The instinctual drive for her mother to mate again has forced her to spend more time alone. Time alone that she is not used to. Her mother’s short hunting trips where she was left alone went from hours to days. She stayed put and hoped for the return of her mother but at times to no avail. Sightings of the two together have become infrequent and the expectation of her independence is approaching.
The skills she has learnt from the countless hours spent with her mother have come in use and this week she was seen with an impala kill that she had made without any sign of her mother. The young leopard even managed to hoist her kill into a tree to keep it out of the reach of hyenas allowing her to finish the majority of it undisturbed. We look forward to seeing a lot more of her as she continues to grow and hopefully set up a territory of her own at Londolozi.
Perfectly synchronised mother and daughter.
Days when everything was taken care of.
Looking down at her mother for reassurance.
Keeping up became less difficult.
More than a mother, the Tamboti female drops her guard and plays with her growing cub.
A beautiful young leopard, we hope she doesn’t go far.
The Tamboti young female’s first hoisted impala kill with no help.
Have you enjoyed following the life of this young leopard? Are there any highlights of her life that you have been a part of or that have meant something to you?
Written and photographed: Simon Smit
Beautiful leopard. Awesome pics of the mother and cub. Great shot of the cub leaping over the water
I’ve really enjoyed the photos & video of the Tamboti female raising this cub over the last year. Keep up the good work! The beautiful Tamboti Female is a favorite (and the last daughter of Sunset Bend!) and seeing her raise this daughter is awesome! Already the daughter seems like a chip off the family tree.
They r so beautiful ! Hope both will grow old & raise many cubs years to come .
Beautiful pictures & write up Simon. Thank you. Its been wonderful watching her grow, now you have to keep us informed of her mom’s new litter when it happens & her cub continuing to flourish <3
Beautiful photos Simon, and beautiful blog. I love the first picture in particular, with her tail over her mother as they are walking together. Two incredible leopards, that will hopefully live long, healthy lives for many years to come.
Incredible photos as always Simon. Its a pleasure to be able to watch this young leopard grow towards independence. What camera did you use to take these images?