As guides we are privileged to call the vast open spaces of the bush our office. On a daily basis we get to explore this wilderness and get to witness some of natures most beautiful moments first hand. Every now and then this beautiful place gives us an experience that changes our lives. Recently I have been lucky enough to have a couple of these experiences and each one seems to be better than the last.
Approximately nine weeks ago, a beautiful leopardess, Nanga, gave birth to two cubs. Unfortunately one of the cubs did not make it, as is the case with approximately one in four leopard cubs in their first year. However, one cub has made it thus far and we have been blessed enough to view him with his mother on a couple of occasions.
The Nanga female was born to the Nyelethi 4:4 female in 2009 as part of a litter of three.
Nanga is one of our very popular females and has been well documented on the blog – view the video below to see the loving bonds between Nanga and her second litter born in 2013. Video footage by Richard Laburn.
Nanga sitting on the rocks where she leaves her cub to hide (Canon EOS 50 D, 210mm focal length, f5, 1/160)
I remember the morning well as I crossed the Sand River to go and view Nanga and her cub for the first time. Those of you who have been on safari will know the incredible thrill of finding an animal you have been longing to see. I couldn’t hide the excitement from my guests and I remember the butterfly feeling fill my chest when I was informed on the radio that she was at the den site. This meant that the male cub would more than likely show his little face to my guests and I for the first time. When we arrived Nanga was lying on the rocks above the area where the cub was hiding. She looked at us and then gave the distinctive contact call… a few seconds went by and we then heard his high pitched reply. This was followed by a moment I will never forget, he slowly lifted his head over the rocks looking at us curiously and in a flash came bouncing over towards his mother.
My first glimpse of Nanga’s little boy (Canon EOS 50D, 170mm focal length, f5, 1/125)
Like me, the small cub could not conceal his excitement and pounced on his mother, chasing her tail while she attempted to groom her newborn – a hyperactive little ball of spots.
Hello mom (Canon EOS 50D, 170mm focal length, f5, 1/160)
He continued to climb down the rocks, hide and then stalk her. The playful nature of young cubs is important to ensure that they develop strong muscles and dexterity – it allows them to practice their reactions and to become confident in their skills. These skills will also come into good use in a few months when the cub learns to hunt.
Slowly creeping forward to his mother (Canon EOS 50D, 300mm focal length, f5,6, 1/160)
Eventually he caught sight of her tail which was slowly flicking around while she groomed herself. (Canon EOS 50D, 300mm focal length, f5.6, 1/160)
We watched as Nanga managed to grab hold of him to get him ready for a bath.
She couldn’t hold onto him for too long as he wormed his way out of her grip and carried on playing and jumping around. (Canon EOS 50D, 255mm focal length, f5.6, 1/200)
Trying his best to stay out of sight while stalking mom. (Canon EOS 50D, 225mm focal length, f5.6, 1/100)
Practicing his bite on his unamused mother! (Canon EOS 50D, 300mm focal length, f5.6,1.100)
After about 20 minutes of playful behaviour she got up and started walking away to a nearby tree and again called for him to join her. He climbed up, lacking the grace of a fully grown leopard but managed remarkably well for such a young cub. As the cub gets older he will be a lot stronger and able to cope with climbing trees with ease. The structure of their bodies are designed for climbing with powerful muscles to propel them upwards. Adam Bannister writes about their tree climbing abilities in an interesting article featured on our blog – click here to read.
A new playground (Canon EOS50D, 135mm focal length, f5.6, 1/125)
She eventually left him at the den site and climbed into a marula tree to scan the area for potential prey.
Keeping a watchful eye out (Canon EOS 50 D, 255mm focal length, f6.3, 1/400)
About a week went by before I was lucky enough to see him again and we followed her tracks, accompanied by his, to their new den site. We sat at the site for about half an hour hoping to see them again. Every noise at that stage catches your attention as you are hoping to catch another glimpse. The patience paid off as we saw her climbing up some rocks where he was hiding. She then disappeared behind a boulder and we saw a glimpse of him jumping towards her. Again we sat and waited in silence. He then gave us the show of our lives and came out on top of the rocks, this time without his mother, to investigate the area.
The young cub finds a new toy (Canon EOS 50 D, 200mm focal length, f4, 1/250)
Time to come and investigate down there (Canon EOS 50D, 200mm focal length, f4, 1/250)
We then noticed, hidden under some bushes, that she had brought an impala up to the den site to introduce him to the taste of meat. She hadn’t opened it up for him yet (which leopards will do for their cubs to allow them to feed). He eventually noticed it and eagerly attempted get a taste of this delicious meal.
How do I get in?! (Canon EOS 50D, 200mm focal length, f4, 1/320)
He gave up after a few minutes and climbed a small stump to have a closer look at us.
Again trying to hide himself from sight (Canon EOS 50D, 200mm focal length, f.4, 1/40)
A bird flying by caught his attention (Canon EOS 50, 200mm focal length, f4, 1/100)
After a little time had passed a contact call came from behind the rocks where his mother was lying and he disappeared back to join her. We left feeling extremely blessed and had smiles on our faces for the rest of the day. There are very few things in this life that I have seen that have been so pure and beautiful and I feel honoured to have been able to spend that time with these magnificent animals.
If you have been at Londolozi before, have you spent time with the Nanga female? What has your experience been like? Share your thoughts with us below.
Written and photographed by Nick Kleer
Video by Keith Rawlings
Amazing! I was blessed to spend time with Nanga and her first liter. I would love to know how the surviving cub is doing, as he was forced into independence so early. Please tell me he’s alive and well. Nanga is the most amazing leopard. So beautiful!! And such a good nurturing mother. I would so love to be there watching her again. Thanks so much for this fantastic post!
Hi Lynn
Her son from the first litter is still alive and well and is occasionally seen in the very north of the property. She is an incredible mother and seems to be doing a great job with this little guy! Thank you for the kind words.
So exciting to see the new Nanga cub. The Nanga female is high on my wish list of leopards to see (it is admittedly a big list!). She is surrounded by some bigger, stronger, more experienced female leopards, yet has been very successful. Since the end of 2014, I have not heard any news of her independent male cub (born 2013). There’s been some interesting changes in male leopard dynamics on Londolozi and to the north. I hope Nanga Young male was not a casualty of all this.
Hi Brian thank you for your concern, he is alive and kicking and a very good looking cat. The changes have indeed been quite dramatic.
Beautiful photos and blog! Thank you Nick.
The photographs are amazing! The bright blue eyes of the cub & the gold colored eyes of the leopard seem to look right through you! Thank you for reminding me of what I love about Africa
Hi Pat
Thank you for the message. Those eyes feel like they penetrate your soul!
Wonderful photos. I had the pleasure of seeing Nanga and her cub earlier this month. He is so beautiful and she’s a great mom.
Hi Caroline
How incredible is it to be with them!! One of the most amazing experiences on earth. Very glad you were lucky enough to spend time with them!!
What a fabulous post, my heart is melted! …and a great view of the foot pad, good to see what produces those wonderful and unique prints that we followed on several occasions.
When do the eyes of the Cubs loose that amazing blue colour I wonder?
Hi Ross
Thank you, well anywhere from about 8 weeks on they should be changing. I saw him yesterday and they are not as intensely blue as they were but definitely do still have a very blue tinge.
Thank you for sharing!! I’ve never been there, but I am in love with the Nanja female. She’s my favorite…not sure why. She’s so beautiful but she seems so strong, too. I can’t tell you how excited I was when I saw clicked on my email and it said “Nanja’s new born cub”!! The video of her cubs in 2013 was amazing. I wish the 2nd video of her current cub was longer; it seemed very short. I enjoyed it though. Wow, he’s a pistol, isn’t he??
Those blue eyes so wide open! Thank you for sharing such amazing pics.
I was enthralled watching the videos of the leopard and her cubs.
I saw the one thing I wanted to see most on my first safari, a young female leopard who just lay on the sand and let us enjoy her beauty.
Wonderful pictures.
Amazing photos and video Nick! I saw beautiful Nanga with her 2nd litter in 2013. What an incredible viewing to see such a young cub! Hopefully this little one will stay safe and continue to thrive. Thank you Nick for sharing such a great blog and photos.
who is the father of this beauty?
Hi Kim
The video is short unfortunately but will try to get a little more in the near future. He is very full of life. She is an incredible leopardess and very good at what she does. She is one of my favourites to. Hope to have some longer video to share soon!!
Thank you to everyone for the kind words and it is only my pleasure to share this all with you!! Md the father of this little guy is the Gowrie male. We all hope he is successful and lives a long and happy life.
Nick, thank you for your amazing photos and also for including wonderful footage of the Nanga female and her past litters. I too was privileged to see the new cub on our recent visit and would love updates on how this little beauty is doing. Its so hard to get attached as the odds are so stacked against them, but here’s hoping that the Nanga females special status and the lessons learned from her amazing mother will help her in the future. Thank you again!