Towards the end of 2015, James Tyrrell asked the question “Do leopards have favourite trees?”. Since then, this has been hotly debated, with opinions varying between rangers, trackers and textbooks and no definitive answer emerging. If only we could politely ask animals such personal questions we might be able to generate a better understanding. Having said that I do believe (without sounding too philosophical) the unknown does only add to the fascination, intrigue and mystery of these creatures.
The Flat Rock male leopard rests in a Marula tree. Freddy Ngobeni, senior Londolozi tracker, believes this leopard has a higher propensity for tree climbing than other male leopards he’s seen.
Leopards in the Sabi Sands do tend to spend a fair amount of time in trees, one reason being that the predator density in this area is high and they hoist their carcasses to avoid having them eaten by lions or hyenas. It does seem to me though that certain individuals seem to prefer a more arboreal lifestyle than others.
The idea for this blog stemmed from a sighting I had recently of the Nhlanguleni female resting high in the boughs of a Marula tree. Almost a month later to the day, Don Heyneke had exactly the same sighting. James Tyrrell, Garrett Fitzpatrick and Bednary Ndlovu have also seen her individually in this same tree before. That’s five separate sightings that we know of. Why did she end up in the same tree? Was it just a coincidence or is this one of her favourite spots? What we do know is that the Nhlanguleni female had recently lost one of her cubs and was seen, on that particular day without the other cub. Was she just in the area and simply looking for a vantage point central to her territory in the hopes of locating her missing cub, or once again, was it pure coincidence?
What was even crazier though was how the photographs I managed to capture are almost identical to Don’s in how she was lying, where she moved about on the tree, how she scent marked on it and where she chose to descend it. Have a look at the series below to see how absurdly similar the sightings were.
Callum’s Sighting
The Nhlanguleni female leopard resting in the Marula tree that she would be seen in a month later. Photograph by Callum Gowar
Don’s Sighting:
Almost a month later to the day, the Nhlanguleni female leopard was seen again, resting on the same branch of this Marula tree. Photograph by Don Heyneke
Callum’s Sighting:
The Nhlanguleni female strolls down the limb of this Marula that rangers have now seen her on at least five times. Photograph by Callum Gowar
Don’s Sighting:
An almost identical replica, albeit slightly wider angle.
Callum’s Sighting:
The similarities in the sightings became even more bizarre. Here she lifts herself up to rub her face onto the main stem, leaving behind a scent that mark, which is done as a way to mark territory. Photograph by Callum Gowar
Don’s Sighting:
Lifting herself up to smell the spot that she had marked a month before, she may have been testing out if the smell still remained or if she needed to re-mark it or to see if another leopard had marked in its place. Photograph by Don Heyneke
Initially skittish female who transformed into a regular presence. Made history by raising first intact litter since her own generation.
After much deliberation with the tracker I work with, Freddy Ngobeni, who has an incredible depth of knowledge about individual leopards in this area, proclaimed that this is personality thing. Freddy believes that there have been very few male leopards that have an inclination for resting in trees at Londolozi. However the Flat Rock male, a newcomer to this area, is one such leopard that seems to prefer the relative safety of the high branches of trees. Perhaps this is owing to his recent and somewhat subservient arrival onto the property or possibly it is inherent in his genetic disposition.
The Flat Rock male leopard resting in a Marula tree in the heart of the area he seems to be establishing his territory.
With the unfortunate recent departure of the 4:4 male, an area of land has been left vacant for which a new male leopard can stake his claim. With the vast territory already occupied by the Piva male east of camp, the unoccupied area just west of camp seems perfect for a new male to consolidate and assert dominance for himself, and that is what the Flat rock male has appeared to do. Following him as he moves through his relatively new ‘territory’, he adds an extra element of excitement due to the fact that he will quite regularly launch himself into trees, either to survey his surroundings, rest on the long limbs of the tree or, more recently, evade the persistent mating efforts of the Nhlanguleni female.
The Nlanguleni female leopard leaps from branch to branch in this Jackalberry tree, trying to entice the Flatrock male to mate.
I believe this question will never truly be answered and we’ll continue to hypothesize and speculate about whether leopards have favourite trees or more broadly speaking, as to why some leopards prefer trees more than others. What I do know though is that every time I drive past this particular Marula tree in the future, I will be glancing into its crown to see if the Nhlanguleni female is resting
Another wonderful post, Callum!! I love that these careful observations are being made and recorded, and that patterns of behavior are compared. It is so interesting to speculate about animal behaviors, as is often the subject of the blogs. When one gets to know the animals as individuals, as those of you lucky enough to live at Londolozi do, it provides a more meaningful understanding of the experience of observing them. As visitors, we get the privilege of observing and learning about the animals for a few days, so it is gratifying to read about them daily when we are not there. All of you are contributing greatly to the knowledge base about animal behavior! But, I agree, Callum, we have so much to learn about nature, and the mystery of not really knowing is exciting!
Great article Callum and, yes, it would be nice if we were able to communicate with the different animals to learn of their habits and favourite resting spots. Nice that you are recording all these things for future generations. Thanks for doing what you all do.
Thanks has the Nhlanguleni female’s remaining cub been found. We were fortunate to have seen both last Autumn and hope this one is still with us?
Hi Callum – Grace and I have been reading your posts. We miss our time with you and Freddy so much! It was an amazing Easter week in the bush. Grace is wondering if the two leopard cubs that we saw (sadly without you) running away from the hyena the last day made it away safely? We love the blog. Best regards to you and Freddy!
what an amazing article and I must say you spent alot of time to write this, wonderful I also start me tree services for living things a I love natur