One has to page through the Londolozi sightings book all the way back to 13 March 2011 so as to find the last confirmed sighting of the Nyeleti 4:4 Female… since then she has all but disappeared. Now we as Rangers are very hesitant to declare an animal as dead but one has to think that this may be the case with this wonderful leopard. With one of the most active, talented and determined Tracking teams in South Africa I feel that there is little chance she can have slipped under the radar for so long.
The possibility does exist that she is still alive but has moved out of her traditional territory; however we have sent pictures and relayed phone messages to all the surrounding reserves and no one claims to have seen this gorgeous female. I fear it may be time to put her name to rest… I hope I eat my words!
The Nyeleti Female puts the end to a very short Impala lamb's life back in December 2010 - Adam Bannister
To see the entire set of these hard hitting photos click here.
Nyeleti 4:4 Female did leave a wonderful legacy in the form of 3 magnificent cubs (2 males and a female), all of which are still viewed regularly at Londolozi. This last litter was born around June 2009 and as testimony to the great mother Nyeleti was, all three sub-adults are thriving and healthy. One of my favourite leopards of the current crop is the little girl. She is the smallest leopard at Londolozi; but what she lacks in size she makes up for in elegance…she is a little princess.
Nyeleti Young Female has always had the most magnificent eyes (May 2010) - Adam Bannister
She has grown in stature and has matured into a confident leopard. Although still very young she is often seen walking her mom’s favourite game trails, scent marking and scraping as she moves through the northern sections of Londolozi. She is a true delight and any sighting of this female is a privilege.
I fear we may never know what happened to her mother but hopefully the Nyeleti Young Female can continue where the great 4:4 female left off.
Nyeleti Young Female: possibly the prettiest leopard at Londolozi - Adam Bannister
To get a better understanding of the naming system we, at Londolozi, use for our Leopards and what exactly the 4:4 means visit the Leopards of Londolozi page.
Written, filmed and photographed by Adam Bannister
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They are both stunning! I hope the mum turns up at some point; lovely to see the daughter thriving, however. Thanks for the family tree as well as I still have a rough time deciphering who’s who on a regular basis!
And you’re right…ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS EYES!
Is it characteristic of all leopeards to have that ‘necklace of spots’ or just of these two? Or is it just the photo? Hard for me to tell…really is distinctive in these photos though!
Thanks again!
Shame, hope the Nyeleti female is not dead,…if she is, what impacts will her disappearance have on the reserves leopard demographics (if any)…? Thanks for the update,…the pictures are wonderful…
Sadly it has been confirmed that the Nyelethi 4:4 female has indeed been killed. John Varty has footage of her being killed by another leopard to the North of our boundary. I have not seen the footage myself, but her identity was confirmed. Sad news for us at Londolozi, but thankfully we still enjoy regular sightings of all three of her last litter.