A few weeks ago we put together a post which showed the first images of the latest leopard arrivals to Londolozi. You may remember that the magical thing about these cubs was that fact that we did not even know that we had a pregnant female, let along that she had denned in northern Londolozi. Out of the blue they were found. Three precious little leopards tucked away on Ximpalapala Koppie. Their mother is the ever-elusive unnamed female whom secretly patrols the north-west of Marthly.
It has been a while since we have managed to get another view of the little ones…until now. The cubs have reached the age whereby they are starting to move around with their mother. The other morning we managed to find tracks of the entire family. We followed the tracks and were led to the koppie once more. Perfect granite boulders provide the ideal home for a playful cat.
Sitting there in all their glory, basking in the morning sun sat two of the leopard cubs. Not only was the sighting superb, but it was made all the more special by the fact that we were able to get fairly close to the one youngster and at least two of the trio of cubs were very relaxed! I say this with a delighted smile on my face as their mother is the one leopard who certainly is not relaxed. Enjoy these pictures…
Sitting delightfully on the granite rocks of Ximpalapala
One of the cubs could be identified as having a 3:4 spot pattern. Very noticeable is that his/her right eye is sore/damaged and smaller than her left. We hope, for her sake, that this is a temporary injury
A brief stretch and look over to see how his/her sibling was doing
As I took this photograph my heart skipped a beat. I had just managed to capture a gorgeous look of a young leopard cub – any photographers dream
Sitting delightfully on the granite rocks of Ximpalapala
The one other cub was not quite as bold as the other and did not offer us quite the same views. We were however able to confirm a 3:3 spot pattern. The third cub was not seen on this occasion
Written and photographed by Adam Bannister
Adam….Amazing pictures of the cubs….I’m ecstatic that the cubs are doing well….:)
Thank You for the update & congratulations on those awesome Pics!!
I echo Tammy’s words!
Adam–there are no words to convey the feelings that arise when gazing at these beauties. A very sincere Thank You!
Hi Adam,
I have been away and got trapped in the snow, but this morning I am delighted to read about these new cubs in the North!
I cannot wait for the 1st September when I will be joining you all with the hope of seeing these cubs.(hopefully)
Thanks for the magnificent pictures, this is indeed my dream, to photograph these little beauties!
Keep well!
TED.
Ted we all look forward to your return. 🙂 holding thumbs that we get to see them and that it stays safe. So far there have been no further sightings of this little one…still very early days though
Baby leopards are the cutest ever, and to have three of these gorgeous models is great. Thanks heaps for sharing.