The Tamboti female gave birth to a litter of two a few months ago. As leopard cubs are very well secreted by their mothers during the first few weeks and months of their lives, it is rare to catch a glimpse of them at all. It is usually only when the female starts taking them to kills to eat meat for the first time (at around two and a half months old) that regular viewing can properly commence.
During their early weeks of life, cubs will be moved regularly to new den sites in order to avoid unwanted attention on where they are being stashed. After a while the smell of cubs begins to accumulate around a den, and repeated returns to the boulder cluster or thicket by the mother may result in her repetitive movement being followed by a hyena, endangering the cubs. As a result, when the cubs are still too small to walk far, the mother will gently pick them up by their necks, with teeth that can crush the vertebrae of an impala, and transport them one by one to a new abode she has selected.
Actually witnessing a female leopard carrying a cub is high on many rangers’ bucket lists, although most realise they will never be fortunate enough to have that privilege. Cubs are regularly moved in the dead of night, and the leopardess will move through thickets, avoiding prying eyes. New dens are usually not too far from the previous one, mainly so that the female can avoid having to carry a cub for too far, also not leaving any remaining cubs (they are carried one by one) unattended for an extended period of time.
I’m sure you can guess what’s coming next…
Christmas came early for a number of rangers, trackers and guests last year, with some of us being lucky enough to see the Tamboti female transporting her cubs between dens.
Have a look at the following pictures:
Simon Smit and Trevor McCall-Peat were following the female on this morning. Fresh suckle marks indicated she had just left a densite when they found her, so imagine their surprise when she walked 500 metres to an old hyena den, called softly once, stuck her head into the entrance hole and pulled out a cub!! She had moved one cub already, and Simon and Trevor were lucky enough to find her before she headed back to collect the second one. Photograph by Trevor McCall-Peat
To get to the new den-site she had to cross a small clearing, allowing for unobstructed views. With a long lens and a steady platform, incredible photographs like this were possible. Photograph by Trevor McCall-Peat.
Trevor and Simon both recounted how they had tears in their eyes during this incredibly rare and emotional sighting. Photograph by Trevor McCall-Peat
The last opportunity before she re-entered the thickets. Photograph by Simon Smit
The following few photos were from a few days later…
The cub’s first walking foray away from a den. Shortly after this one of the cubs cub began crying loudly, presumably as it was getting tired, forcing the female to stash it in a log and carry the other one to the new den she had selected, before returning to fetch the second one. Photograph by Rex Miller
Moving through bushes now, while carrying a single cub, the female allowed only quick views as she moved through the undergrowth. Photograph by Rex Miller
Because she was moving relatively swiftly with the first cub, Rex was unable to stay with her, hesitant to move through the bushes with the vehicle, creating noise and potentially causing unnecessary disturbance. We happened to be operating nearby and fortunately thanks to an incredible spot by guest Paul Tonks, managed to find her at the new den a short while later; a tangle of roots with a small termite mound in them at the base of a fallen Schotia tree. After a few minutes she moved off, clearly to fetch the second cub, and this glimpse through the bushes was our reward as she returned… Slightly obscured by branches, but an incredible sighting nonetheless. Photograph by James Tyrrell.
The succession of den-sites of the Tamboti female over a month-long period.
After the above photos were taken (all were taken within the space of a few days), the Tamboti female moved her den a couple more times over the next week, eventually moving the cubs further east of the Londolozi boundary. Around Christmas time, she had an aggressive encounter with the Dudley Riverbank 5:5 male very close to where she was believed to be stashing the litter. Although she stayed in the area calling for a few days, no further sign of the cubs has been seen since then.
Although we are not 100% sure of their fate, we are well aware of how low the chances of leopard cub survival in a predator-rich environment like the Sabi Sand are, so we sadly fear the worst….
Photographs by Trevor McCall-Peat, Simon Smit and James Tyrrell, Londolozi Rangers and Rex Miller, Private Guide
Amazing shots. 7 years here and still waiting for one of these!
This is a picture of my dreams. Congratulations.
Totally amazing post! Thanks so much for capturing and sharing! Miss Londolozi so much!
OMG!! What an amazing set of photos!! So happy ya’ll got to experience this rare sighting….so exciting!!
Beautiful series of photos. Amazing sighting (lucky guests!). Sad about final outcome, but Tamboti will rise again.
5:5 male has shown a real interest in cubs that he has sired (or thinks he sired), but even he will kill cubs when he knows he is not the father.
Thank you for sharing your amazing adventure. Tamboti has always been a favorite of ours having spent time with her on previous visits. The last one with Trevor & it was wonderful.
Thankyou so much for these amazing photos,please keep us posted on the progress of her precious babies,just love them.
Incredible photos and amazing sighting! I’m so sorry for the loss of the cubs. Life is harsh out in the wild.
Amazing!
Stay positive for the little ones!
that is true