We had a plan: to drive the Manyelethi River in the north, to enjoy the breath-taking views, riverine vegetation and biodiversity, with the ultimate hope of finding a leopard.
Silence drowned the start of the hot afternoon; not a bird chirp nor impala snort was herd until we began meandering the beautiful river. With the stillness around us our ears were well-tuned to the faintest sound that might arise, when suddenly a nyala alarm-called. Then a second, then a third. The distant chattering of a squirrel also began. Our attention was focused, as we sped up to where the nyalas were barking. Establishing which direction they were looking in, we drove that way, eyes straining to see what had got their attention.
Eventually, atop a termite mound we spotted a young female leopard; the now near-independent Ingrid Dam young female. She was completely undeterred by the nyalas, the squirrels and our presence as she rolled around the mound in a playful manner before falling fast asleep, out of sight and vehicle positioning accessibility.
After enjoying watching her for awhile and the built up excitement of having found her thanks to the alarm calls we slowly trundled off, enjoying more of what the Manyelethi Riverbed had to offer.
No more than a few hundred meters away, excitement spiked once more as a huge male leopard lay on top of a gigantic granite boulder. His sheer size gave his identification away from afar – the Anderson male leopard. We moved closer, positioning the vehicle for the best view and photographic opportunity. For many it’s an iconic dream to witness a beautiful leopard on a rock. The white and grey colouration of the granite intensifies the leopard’s rosettes and overall beauty.
The Anderson male leopard scans the surrounds. The rosettes, ears and body shape caught our attention from a distance.
Unofficially the biggest leopard in the Sabi Sands, the Anderson male is an absolutely enormous individual in north western Londolozi.
Out of nowhere two hyenas came running through the scene, disappearing behind a thick brush-pile and further granite boulders a little way down the riverbed. They were oblivious to the male leopard’s presence. We were still taking it all in when a second leopard appeared on the scene (the third of the drive so far) It was a younger, smaller male, cautiously sniffing the ground and walking back and forth. Clearly on the scent trail of something. But what? The pieces of the puzzle were there but the final picture was as yet unclear. What drew all these animals to this one part of the dry river? The Anderson male lifted his head, yet presented no signs of aggression while the younger male was still unaware of his presence.
A doze was interrupted by an approaching young male leopard. The movement, subtle sound and possible scent alerted the Anderson male as his eyes locked focus on what could be an approaching threat.
Bones crunched behind the brush-pile and granite boulders; a hyena’s head peered over, drenched in blood. We quickly drove around to get a closer look. There lay a large, sub-adult male kudu carcass, and the hyenas were scoffing down as much of the fresh meat as they possibly could. How had this kudu died? Surely a leopard couldn’t have killed such a large kudu? On closer inspection the neck was bent back in a characteristic leopard suffocation fashion. The neck had puncture wounds from the two and a half inch canines. The puzzle began to be pieced together.
Alerted by the feeding activity, the now identifiable Thamba male leopard rushed over but was soon chased off by the aggressive hyenas. He turned back upstream before his body posture lowered as he and the Anderson male made eye contact.
Short, repetitive bursts of air came from the young male as he began chuffing at the Anderson male in a sign of close distance communication and identification, yet the large dominant male leopard showed no aggression or even interest in that matter. Had the Anderson male leopard mated with the Thamba male’s mother in the past? Did he possibly see the young male as one of his offspring? Or was there simply no threat in having a younger, less powerful male leopard investigating the scene? What communication was the chuffing indicating? It’s hard to pin-point fact and we can only speculate as to exactly what passed between them.
The body posture towards the Anderson male shows the Thamba male’s submission.
Venturing a little closer, the Thamba male kept watching both the hyenas and the Anderson male. Take note of his independent ear rotation; constantly tuning in to what is around him.
As darkness set in more hyenas appeared and the hierarchical squeals and screams were ear-piercing yet captivating. The sheer number of hyenas presented too much power and soon thereafter the Thamba male moved off in the direction he came from and the Anderson male left the scene in the opposite direction.
Side light enhancing the frantic and eerie feel that set in on feeding behaviour of this spotted hyena. Face filled with drying blood. Hyenas will feed on multiple kilograms of meat in a matter of minutes as they never knows when their next meal might be.
Powerful jaws and a blood-red face. One hyena lifts a large part of the kudu carcass to better its feeding opportunity. Soon hereafter a number of other hyenas joined the scene, creating an electrifying atmosphere of whines and squeals as they fought for the most meat.
What an incredible experience. A true display of experiencing the unexpected and what hooks one to this life we share of safari.
Unbelievable, just unbelievable!! First, I’m surprised that the Anderson Male killed a kudu that big (and a young male too), and then you got to witness an incredible inter and intra-species interaction!
Always expect the unexpected when you are out on a game drive. You never know what you will find around the next corner. Amazing sighting.
Kudu sub adult 350lbs+??
Probably around there…
You never know what might occur on a safari, is right. I’m assuming the Anderson male made the kill, but why didn’t he at least begin to feed or haul away a part to a tree? Not hungry? He appears so disinterested. Guess his size and territory can dictate whatever mood he wishes! Excellent images Alex. One clearly shows that his eye is healing well. And for that, many of us are appreciative.
Thanks for the comment Joanne. There were signs of blood on his paws and neck which he soon groomed out. A small part of the kudu’s rump had been fed on. From all the clues we can only speculate what might have happened. Leopards will generally start feeding from the hind quarters, targeting the softest meat. Being such a large Kudu as well as the energy required to wrestle and kill it, it is possibly the reason he was resting up close by.
Lucky guests , it does show the advantage of not worrying what is over the hill, but waiting to see how a good signing pans out.
Could not agree more Ian!
Wow ?. What a great sighting. The Anderson male is quite the specimen- the poster child for amazing leopards. I guess the big question is, who took down the kudu and why was it left unattended for the hyenas to take over? The mysteries of the animal world……
Denise it’s the question that went through all of our minds. With the kudu’s neck bent in a classical suffocation position, canine puncture marks in the neck, a small amount fed on the rump and inner legs, we can only speculate that the Anderson male had successfully made the kill. He groomed out blood from his neck and paws while lying up on the large granite boulder. It was a big sub-adult kudu (+-150kg) and would therefore be a mighty task to hoist.
What an amazing sighting! I know the Anderson male is big, but a male kudu?!! It certainly suggests that he’s not suffering any permanent impairment from his eye injury!
Londolozi and leopards- always a great prospect. We were at the Tree camp 4-5 years ago. A great stay except for a scary encounter with a Cape buffalo one night after dinner. Some wonderful photos of leopards. Hope to repeat at the Founders camp in September.
I love the last Thamba male leopard photo. Such an amazing photo
It’s just so good to see that the Anderson male has hardly skipped a beat since his eye injury. Obviously he is one tough old brute and showing signs of becoming a one off legend in his own time.
Hi Cynthia,
Yip, he’s a beast. That injury hardly slowed him down at all!
Is there not a photo from back in the day of Mr Anderson with a giraffe foal he had hoisted up a tree? Birth weight for a giraffe foal is about 100kg…..
Hi Brian,
Yes, here we go: http://blog.londolozi.com/2015/09/23/are-these-the-biggest-leopards-youve-ever-seen/
Best
Incredible to see how resilient the cats are. You would never know by looking at the Anderson Male now, how bad that eye injury looked just a few weeks ago. And, Thamba, what a beautiful leopard, those eyes and golden coat. Hope we get to see him into adulthood.