Having already raised two offspring to independence (Nkoveni and Ximungwe females), the Mashaba female cannot be said to be an unsuccessful mother. Two or more cubs raised over a lifetime is a good number for a female leopard in a high-density population like Londolozi, so she has already done what she needs to do to secure her genetic line. Still, we can’t help but feel saddened that she has lost her last 9-11 offspring. I can’t give an exact number because one litter was never seen, and may have contained 1, 2 or even 3 cubs.
Londolozi's oldest territorial female. Distinguished by her nose spot, this Sunsetbend matriarch's legacy lives on through her daughters.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
In mid-2016 the Ximungwe female became independent, which soon put the Mashaba female back into oestrus. She birthed a litter in the Bushbuck drainage not far from the Londolozi camps, but timing-wise she was unlucky, as the incumbent 4:4 male was mortally wounded around that time by the Ntsevu pride, which left the territory open for a new male. The Flat Rock male arrived on the scene within a few weeks, and is believed to have killed that litter.
In Winter of 2017 a litter of three cubs was being raised by the Mashaba female in a deep drainage system, but all were killed, possibly by lions moving through the area, as a lot of tracks were found on the morning that the cubs’ deaths were discovered. In March of this year a litter of at least two were seen in some rocks near the Sand River, which put the total birthed and lost since the Ximungwe female at at least 6. There may even have been another litter from early or early 2017 that I’ve forgotten about.
Then a couple of months ago the female was seen heavily pregnant, sniffing around the Maxabene riverbed, seemingly on the lookout for a new den. This was around about the time the Tamboti female had disappeared, and the Mashaba female had wasted no time in moving in to claim that territory. A brief sighting by Grant Rodewijk and Jerry Hambana of the Mashaba female moving a single cub into a termite mound den confirmed that she had given birth, but it wasn’t until a couple of weeks later that ranger John Mohaud and tracker Euce Madonsela followed the female from a kill back to a new den in the banks of the Maxabene Riverbed and they could confirm she had given birth to three cubs. The den was incredibly hard – if not impossible – to view the litter at, as it was a small hollow behind a tangle of tree roots, into which one could not get a view from any angle; you were entirely dependant on the mother or the cubs poking their heads up over the rim in order to get a view, and even then there was a dense Num-num bush mostly obscuring your view.
A brief glimpse of one of the cubs. Photograph by John Mohaud
A cub exposes itself above the den…
Making a number of kills not too far from the den over the week or two after its discovery, the Mashaba female’s movements were incredibly localised, and as far as we could tell her nightly forays were never further than a kilometre or so. Fortunately the proliferation of impala in the area meant that food was plentiful, and she never had to venture far.
The Mashaba female on one of the many successful kills she made in and around the Maxabene riverbed. Photograph by John Mohaud
One afternoon at the start of this month, rangers were working in the area, and hearing monkeys alarming in the very Tamboti thickets among which the den was situated, went to check if they could catch a glimpse of the female, and with any luck, the cubs. Arriving at the den itself and catching a brief glimpse of a leopard’s back in the hollow, it was initially assumed that the mother was there with her litter. Hope turned to horror however, when the leopard that stood up out of the hollow was not the Mashaba female, but the Ndzanzeni young male, and in his jaws was the limp form of one of the cubs.
This male had been seen on a number of occasions only a short distance to the south, pushing up with his mother the Ndzanzeni female in the wake of the Tamboti female’s death. With the Mashaba female having chosen to birth her latest litter right in the heart of this newly contested zone, it should have been on everyone’s minds right from the start what a danger this male posed to the litter, as he would naturally be exploring the area as much as possible in his new-found independence and under the umbrella of his father the Inyathini male’s territorial control.
The Ndzanzeni young male, not really anyone’s favourite anymore, but should his actions (which were as natural to him as breathing) really affect how we feel towards him?
The Nzandzeni young male was confirmed to have killed at least one of the cubs, but seeing as how there have been no further sightings of the other two since that day, and the Mashaba female has re-shifted her territory, it has to sadly be assumed that the whole litter was lost.
While it is tempting to get attached to individual animals, ascribing personalities to them and assuming they might be different to the rest, the Ndzanzeni young male’s actions simply prove once more that they are wild animals. They have no human agendas and aren’t interested in what we think of them. They probably don’t have the capacity to be in any case.
Whilst we may gasp in horror at this young male killing three defenceless cubs, we need to recognize that this is nature in its rawest form, and ultimately he didn’t do anything wrong. He was simply behaving the way he is genetically programmed to behave.
In the wake of her loss, the Mashaba female has shifted her movements back to her old stomping grounds of the drainage systems just south-west of camp. With the Nkoveni and Nhlanguleni females having moved in behind her when she left, however, it remains to be seen whether she is able to come back as easily as she might have hoped.
That is so sad, I have pictures of the 3 beautiful fluff balls from last year that never made it and this time we came across the young Ndzanzeni male feeding on one of this year’s cubs – we were really hoping the other two had made it
Hi Marianna.
Spending time with that litter from last year was truly special!!
Sadly it looks as though the other two haven’t made it.
Best
We feel sad when we read this James, but it is true that the animals are not there for us. It is nature and it a hard life in the bush.
So very hard to read this story and not be emotional, but I do understand that these are wild animals and their world is different than ours. It is hard to imagine how a female leopard ever raises cubs, but fortunately some cubs do make it. Thanks for sharing!
Poor Mashaba has been very unlucky with her last litters. Somehow the Young Ndzanzeni male, who I nicknamed Goof, never was a leopard I would have thought capable of such a thing. Forgive me for saying this, but at some point I thought he was somehow a bit challenged or completely clueless. Clearly I was wrong. I hope Mashaba will be more lucky with her next litter.
Aah, the joys and sorrows of Mother Nature. She giveth and taketh away and we mortals are left with unanswered questions as to why and how. Your news saddens me but I understand that the act of the Ndzanzeni male was instinctual and not based on malice. I had hoped to view these cubs during my adventure there, but perhaps there will be others to see. As nature moves on, so will we. Thank you fir the update.
Hi Denise,
Absolutely, and you’ve raised a good point here. Just how much malice exists in nature? I feel like we need to write a post on this at some point…
Best
So very sad for us soft-hearted humans…but this is the way of the wild. It’s my personal opinion that we cannot impose our rules of humanity on a leopard who is only following his instincts. With that said, this soft-hearted human will weep for the lost and wish/hope for future successful cubs for this beautiful leopardess. Thank you, James, for providing this city-dweller with a connection to the natural world.
Hi Kelley,
Absolutely, it’s sad for us, but thankfully, even though the Mashaba female is our oldest leopardess (10 yrs old), she still has a couple of litters left in her…
Best regards
I was introduced and fell in love with the Mashaba female through Tony Goldman. Fast forward in time, her offspring named Ximungwe, has become my favorite. While both are exquistely beautiful cats, my heart wrenches for Mashaba and her continued losses. Hopefully Mashaba can have another litter, although I now place her and the lone lioness in the same sad situation. Sometimes the bush just doesn’t give a animal a break! Sigh.
She’s definetely not a bad mother, It seems to be primarily due to the fact that she lives in a predator-rich environment. I hope she has another litter though!