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Mashaba 3:3 Female

Mashaba 3:3 Female

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Nkoveni 2:2 Female

Nkoveni 2:2 Female

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Ximungwe 5:3 Female

Ximungwe 5:3 Female

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About the Author

James Tyrrell

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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 ...

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11 Comments

on The Mashaba Female Leopard Loses Another Litter

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That is so sad, I have pictures of the 3 beautiful fluff balls from last year that never made it and this time we came across the young Ndzanzeni male feeding on one of this year’s cubs – we were really hoping the other two had made it

Hi Marianna.
Spending time with that litter from last year was truly special!!
Sadly it looks as though the other two haven’t made it.

Best

We feel sad when we read this James, but it is true that the animals are not there for us. It is nature and it a hard life in the bush.

So very hard to read this story and not be emotional, but I do understand that these are wild animals and their world is different than ours. It is hard to imagine how a female leopard ever raises cubs, but fortunately some cubs do make it. Thanks for sharing!

Senior Digital Ranger

Poor Mashaba has been very unlucky with her last litters. Somehow the Young Ndzanzeni male, who I nicknamed Goof, never was a leopard I would have thought capable of such a thing. Forgive me for saying this, but at some point I thought he was somehow a bit challenged or completely clueless. Clearly I was wrong. I hope Mashaba will be more lucky with her next litter.

Aah, the joys and sorrows of Mother Nature. She giveth and taketh away and we mortals are left with unanswered questions as to why and how. Your news saddens me but I understand that the act of the Ndzanzeni male was instinctual and not based on malice. I had hoped to view these cubs during my adventure there, but perhaps there will be others to see. As nature moves on, so will we. Thank you fir the update.

Hi Denise,
Absolutely, and you’ve raised a good point here. Just how much malice exists in nature? I feel like we need to write a post on this at some point…

Best

So very sad for us soft-hearted humans…but this is the way of the wild. It’s my personal opinion that we cannot impose our rules of humanity on a leopard who is only following his instincts. With that said, this soft-hearted human will weep for the lost and wish/hope for future successful cubs for this beautiful leopardess. Thank you, James, for providing this city-dweller with a connection to the natural world.

Hi Kelley,
Absolutely, it’s sad for us, but thankfully, even though the Mashaba female is our oldest leopardess (10 yrs old), she still has a couple of litters left in her…
Best regards

I was introduced and fell in love with the Mashaba female through Tony Goldman. Fast forward in time, her offspring named Ximungwe, has become my favorite. While both are exquistely beautiful cats, my heart wrenches for Mashaba and her continued losses. Hopefully Mashaba can have another litter, although I now place her and the lone lioness in the same sad situation. Sometimes the bush just doesn’t give a animal a break! Sigh.

She’s definetely not a bad mother, It seems to be primarily due to the fact that she lives in a predator-rich environment. I hope she has another litter though!

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