Involved Leopards

Nhlanguleni 3:2 Female

Nhlanguleni 3:2 Female

Spotted this leopard?
You've seen this leopard
Anderson 4:4 Male

Anderson 4:4 Male

Spotted this leopard?
You've seen this leopard

About the Author

James Tyrrell

Alumni

James had hardly touched a camera when he came to Londolozi, but his writing skills that complemented his Honours degree in Zoology meant that he was quickly snapped up by the Londolozi blog team. An environment rich in photographers helped him develop the ...

View James's profile

32 Comments

on Leopard Cubs Cheat Death

Join the conversationJoin the conversation

Don’t think I could bear the awful tragedy of watching Cubs killed by a male Leopard or by anything else for that matter. SO RELIEVED they were spared!

Hi James,
That unknown male is Hosana from the north,around 2.5 years old.Dangerous for the cubs,but for him also because i don’t think that Anderson would be too pleased to find him in the heart of his territory.

Ha! Your unidentified male is Hosana! Karula’s son born Feb. 2nd, 2016. Silly boy! He’ll always do the opposite to what you expect, watch out! 😉

It is possible the White Dam Male leopard son of the White Dam Female and The Maxabeni Male leopard.

That males leopard is Hosana son of Karula and Tingana

Heart stopping experience. Luckily they are safe. It is part of the circle of life but still difficult to see and to read about it.

Senior Digital Ranger

Wow, great to see Hosana, looking well! Thank you for the update. I am glad he didn’t find the Nhlanguleni’s cubs. We miss seeing our silly boy Hosana in the North but knew his time for dispersal was coming.. Hoping he settles somewhere close enough we will get news of him from time to time. He was born 2 Feb 2016 Spot Pattern 3:3 Mother Karula Father thought to be Tingana. Littermate Xongile disappeared in August of 2017. They were orphaned at age 13 months and did quite well on their own. Hosana was know for following his father around and just hanging out with Tingana.. He didn’t mind that Tingana growled at him.. He is quite the character. Thank you again for the update.

The unidentified male leopard seems to be a leopard that goes by the name Hosana. This is his facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/Hosana.Male.Leopard/

Master Tracker

So the cubs escape and another leopard on the property. Look forward to learning more about the new leopard.

The unknown male is Hosana.

He is 27 months old. Born early February 2016 to Karula female and likely Tingana male.

His littermate sister Xongile disappeared mid-August 2017.

Karula went missing mid-March 2017.

So Hosana has been fending for himself since he was 13 months old.

We found that he seems to like/crave company, either guides or other leopards. Until his sister vanished, he was always with Karula, Xongile or both, so he never learned to be a solitary leopard.

Thamba male, Thandi female, Tingana male, Mvula male (RIP), another of Karula’s offspring from a previous litter, and I think Inkanyeni female too.

Sometimes it was sharing a kill, other times laying in close proximity, or simply following close behind in visual range. His Dad, Tingana, was becoming annoyed!

To be honest, I don’t think he was a threat to those cubs. Knowing his personality, he would have likely kept them company until the mom returned.

He is a special boy with a real quirky personality. <3

Brilliant, thanks Linda.

My heart would have been in my throat. My favorite animal is the leopard and I just love watching their cubs. I could not sit and watch a male kill those beautiful little creatures. I had enough trouble leaving behind a wildebeest calf in Tanzania when we saw it had lost its mother and there were predators all around. If I could have, I would have brought it home with me! ? So very relieved that these cubs survived, Thanks, James!

I realized I’d been holding my breath while reading today’s blog! Great story, happy ending!

The interloper is Hosana from Djuma/Chitwa area and the son of Karula. His mother disappeared when he and his sister were young and then so did his sister. Hard to explain his personality. It’s like he craves company. He had an altercation w/Anderson on Elephant Plains which caused him to run in your direction. I hope he does well. He is a favorite of MANY.

That leopard is the young Hosana, last son of Karula from Djuma. https://www.facebook.com/pg/Hosana.Male.Leopard

Mother: Karula
Father: Tingana (possibly)
Born: Feb. 2, 2016
Spot Pattern: 3:3
Name Means: Little Chief (also nicknamed Prince)
Littermate: Xongile (female)

Biography
Karula’s young and confident male cub has been given the name “Hosana”. In Xitsonga/Shangaan this means “Little Chief.” His grace and nobility already stand as veritable testament to this and of course only the son of a true Queen could be a little Prince. Hosana is identified by his 3:3 spot pattern as well as his bright yellow-green eyes.

Hi Rae,

Great, thanks for the info!

Whoosh! That was a heart stopping editorial. I would have hated to know the cubs were killed by the outside male. Thank goodness they live another day!!

That’s Hosana from Djuma. So glad to see he is safe and well….glad the cubs are too. Hosana is a very special boy in the hearts of many who watched him grow up.

Wow, now that really is escaping by a whisker!! I wonder where that male came from, he didn’t look that old

Senior Digital Ranger

We spent the better potion of at least two game drives trying to locate leopard litters along the Sand River last week with Grant and Jerry often tracking mother leopard tracks near known den sites on foot. On one occasion when the guide and tracker were exploring a small donga and known den site just north of the Sand River and northwest of camp, I noticed a large leopard, the Anderson male, quietly crossing the open sand of the Sand River to the tall grasses in the river bed’s middle. Despite a lot of time and effort, the cubs remained hidden and elusive. Jerry and Grant concluded the mother’s had moved the cubs somewhere in the Sand River itself. I saw boulders like this, but am having trouble placing their exact location. Seems like most den sites we checked south of the Sand River were not far from camp with one or two fairly close to the banks directly opposite the home of the Varty’s neighbors to the north

Hi Phil, there are quite a few in close proximity to each other, and I know the Nhlanguleni female has moved between at least three in this area in the past before…

James, I don’t think those cubs cheated death…that unidentified male leopard is Hosana from the Djuma area. He survived on his own at a young age as his mom Karula suddenly disappeared and presumed deceased. He is a very socialable cat and probably would have just laid with the cubs. When his father Tingana was recovering from an illness Hosana would go lay within feet of him and this was only a couple of months ago. He is a 3:3 with his right side resembling a nike swoosh. BTW, the 2 BBoys are Nsuku on the left and Tinyo on the right. Keep up the great columns

Hi Len,
Thanks for the comments.
Hmm would have been interesting to see what happened should the cubs have been in the open. Instinct is a hard thing for leopards to override though…

Phew! So pleased the cubs survived this close encounter ! Truly awesome photos of the unknown male on the rocks!

Hi Gillian, we were pretty thrilled when they were discovered still alive, believe me!

So happy your story, so far, has ended well. Do keep us posted on the cubs. Since you spotted a new leopard, I am curious to know how long before you give identifying names to leopard cubs? This new male I’m sure you’ll name if he’s seen on a regular basis. Thanks.

Malavika we generally wait until they are territorial and established in an area, the length of time of which can vary significantly…

That’s the Little Chief Hosana. He’s a 2 year old leopard. He’s very curious about everything. He was born in Djuma a very loved and well know in Safari Live. We miss seeing him. I’m so glad he’s doing good.

Thank you for the comments everyone, and especially thank you for the ID of the Hosana male.
We’ll be sure to recognise him from now on!

James, you keep me on the edge of my seat. I could not imagine watching those babies getting killed. I am just so happy they were seen later. Is Hosana as big as Anderson and does Anderson know that he is there? I hate to see either injured because Hosana has decided to venture to new lands.

Hi Judy; Hosana is half the size as the Anderson male! I think he can count himself very fortunate that the Anderson male didn’t find him that day…

This is Hosana, he is almost 4 years old now…his entire life, up until his recent departure from the Djuma area, has been captured on video and well documented via the Safari Live broadcasts. He is an amazing cat and it’s nice to be able to get updates on him as he establishes himself in a territory. It is always sad when cubs are killed by a new male in an area, but it is nature and it is part of the bigger picture.

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