The Tamboti cubs continue to grow and provide amazing viewing for visitors to Londolozi. It has been a while since two such relaxed and approachable leopard cubs have been around the centre of the property, with the latest probably being the Maxabene young males born in 2008.
The Tamboti female has been expanding her territory to the South, and as a result it is not often that we seen the Dudley Riverbank female and her 16-17 month old youngster anymore. The Tamboti female, younger and stonger, has been putting increasing pressure on her older unrelated neighbours. This morning she was found interacting with the Notten’s female, with whom she has had altercations before, over the remains of an Nyala carcass. The older female backed down. Watch the blog for more on this sighting later in the week.
There is so much I could write about the Tamboti female and her cubs, but since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll let the following photographs and footage speak for themselves…
The female cub stalks her brother on the sand of the Maxabene riverbed.
The female cub looks pensive as playtime winds to a close.
The mother leopard shows her son just who’s boss!
The golden grass of winter forms a wonderful backdrop for the the two cubs. Although vegetation cover is sparser during the dry season, the brown and gold colours match a leopards coat and camouflage it perfectly.
The female cub (on the right) can be recognised by her 5:3 spot pattern. The male is 2:2.
The white tip of their tails make inviting targets and entertaining playthings for the young cubs.
In a playful mood
The mother leoapard watches her cubs at play in the riverbed below her
The beautiful dark golden coat of the Tamboti female is characteristic of the lineage of the Sunset Bend female. The Vomba, Mashaba and Tutlwa females also come from this line.
The male cub stalks his sister
Written by James Tyrrell
Photographed by Talley Smith
Filmed by Richard Laburn and Talley Smith
They are so so beautiful
Thank you, thank you – how I wish I could photograph them!! They are so precious.
Absolutely amazing photography and subjects! Can’t wait to experience it myself in Sept.!
Adorable! Thank you for sharing!
Guys, what a privilege it is to be able to sit there and witness such beauty! Tamboti is a very relaxed mom & those two precious youngsters – oh goodness, I hope they grow up to be just like her. Thanks for sharing once again 🙂
Absolutely amazing! Adorable! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope they will survive!!!!!!!!!!!
What a fabulous blog to wake to this morning. We will be there in one month and can’t wait to see these precious additions to the Leopards of Londolozi.
Thank you
They’ve grown so much in the past 7 weeks! It’s so fun to see them out in the open and so relaxed. Thanks for all the wonderful images!
Beautiful – great photos!!
Can’t wait to see these up close next week.
Amazing!!!!! So cute and gorgeous… I wish I had seen them when we were there. No words to express the beauty of these pictures. Congratulations!!!
What animal head was that, that one of the cubs was carrying around and gnawing on.
Rich: beautiful pics. They are beauties.
Do you mind to explain the expression: 5:3 spot pattern or for the male male 2:2. What to look for?
Thanks, Jan-Erik
Did one of these cubs die? How? If so, was it the young boy or girl? Thanks heaps.
Hi Linda,
Sadly yes, we believe the male cub has been killed as we have not seen it for a couple of weeks. We have no way of knowing how or by what.
James