The alarm calls of a monkey rang out over the Sand River. Standing on the river bank under the cool, dense shade of the Jackalberry trees, a little excitement stirred within me. We had stopped for coffee around 9am and standing there with mug in hand I decided to investigate the cause of these alarm calls coming from a little way upstream.
A monkey sounds an alarm from a lookout perch.
I wandered slowly along the bank peering down the steep 3-4 meter high slope into the narrow braid of the Sand River lined with dense, green undergrowth shadowed by beautiful Matumi and Jackalberry trees. The narrow sand-bottomed stream gurgled over a small clump of rocks with open beach sand at the water’s edge.
After walking upstream for a while I heard it again. “Chuck, chuck!”, the monkeys alarmed, this time right above me. I caught sight of one and followed its gaze down into the river about 50 m upstream from where I was standing up on the bank. Then I saw something on the sand beach at the water’s edge. Could it really be? A leopard? It lay dead still at the water’s edge. Or at least that’s what I thought I had seen.
I had left my glasses (and binoculars for that matter) on the vehicle where my guests were still enjoying their coffee. I edged a little closer as my heart climbed a little higher up my throat. YES! Definitely a leopard; a male leopard.
The Flat Rock Male photographed here was the male I had seen. Note the broad neck and muscular appearance of an adult male of the species.
I immediately doubled back to inform the guests. Because the leopard was in the river and in such a dense area it would have been impossible to get a vehicle in there. I decided to offer to take the guests two by two, on foot, up to the point where I had seen the leopard from to have a look. Being a high vantage point up on the bank it would be a safe place to view from and with all the bush cover around, I hope that the leopard might feel more comfortable with our presence – if indeed he even noticed us – as he could slip away away into the undergrowth if he pleased.
And so we did. The first two guests came along with me and, with binoculars (and my glasses) this time, had a great view of him. The next two guests had their turn also getting a great view. As I arrived at the same view point with the final two guests I just caught a glimpse of him get up and disappear behind a bush. My heart sank as the last two guests had not seen him. I stood for a while trying to see if he would reappear.
Seeing a leopard is very special in any circumstance, and in the wild this is usually done from a vehicle. Seeing a leopard in the wild on foot is without doubt one of the most special wildlife experiences I had ever had. I was over the moon that I was getting the opportunity to be doing this with my guests.
We waited a little longer. Then some movement caught my eye, and there he was again! I helped the guests have a good view through binoculars then had a look myself. As I looked closer at the leopard something looked different. Looking carefully I noticed the leopard appeared smaller, lacking the broad, thickset shoulders and neck of the male we had just seen. Could it be another leopard? A female?
The female leopard form. Note the more petite build, especially around the head and neck region. This photograph captures the Mashaba female some time back, and judging by her hanging belly, possibly at a time when she was suckling a previous litter
Then out from behind some flood debris came the male we had seen first. It was a male and female leopard together and immediately my heart rate doubled again. I told my guests to watch carefully as they might mate! Leopards rarely spend time together in such close proximity unless mating or if a mother is with her cubs. As they neared each other the female brushed up against the male, enticing him to mate. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing on foot, and with guests! The leopards went on and performed a full mating bout with the female lashing out at the male with growls and claws thrashing as the bout ended.
This photograph of the Flatrock male and Mashaba female mating was taken a day or two after our sighting. Leopards will typically spend as long as a week together, mating regularly through that time.
Seeing this sighting from a vehicle is special by any standards, but for me the fact that we were standing about 50m up on the river bank watching this made it completely unique.
The leopards then walked further into the river and as we lost sight of them, I remember saying to the guests that we probably would not see them again but decided to try relocate them in the vehicle anyway to get a closer look. It was a long shot, but by driving up and down the bank, stopping and switching off the engine to listen we were able to narrow down our search area. We chose an access point down into the river where we had heard more recent growling as they mated. We drove in and found them lying in a beautiful open section of the river where we enjoyed a great view of them mating.
A mating bout can be a noisy affair which helped us relocate the pair with the vehicle. This photograph excellently captures the moment the bout ends and the female turns to lash out at the male.
The other exciting thing about leopards mating is that should the female fall pregnant, she will give birth about three months later. The rangers and trackers have been discussing where this leopard may decide to den as she has recently been seen more frequently around the area of her previously used den sites. This sighting took place towards the end of September, and the latest sightings of the Mashaba female seem to confirm that she is heavily pregnant.
With any luck we may be seeing tiny new cubs before the year is out!
Londolozi's oldest territorial female. Distinguished by her nose spot, this Sunsetbend matriarch's legacy lives on through her daughters.
A dominant male leopard over the majority of the north. He originally took over the 4:4 Male's territory when he died.
Amazing experience.
WOW!!!!!!what a wonderful experience. Counting the days until we get to Londolozi. Victoria
Holding thumbs with you! Maybe Chrismas or New Year’s cubs? Who knows? Please keep us posted.
We were in Londolozi in September, and I have been anxiously awaiting photos showing how Londolozi greens up after the rains. The first pic in this blog shows this. Thank you!
Rob, your writing is great. All the details had me right there on foot with you. Thanks.
Hi Rob. Don’t think coffee drew the leopards to you somehow! The alarm calls did it and they drew you to them. They are not in the least interested in our lives – especially when they are highly occupied with each other – but wow! are we interested in them? Oh yes! Lovely story. LOVE the picture of the Sand River! Will put it on as a Screensaver. Wendy M
Please can anyone tell me the “point” of earning all these points?? Does the “winner” get a chocolate bar or something? Or does it just go on and on? Just curious ……Wendy M
Hello Rob!
What an adventure for you and your guests!
Wonderful news that Mashaba is pregnant! When me and my husband visit Londolozi last year in September we saw Mashaba at one of her dens with her cubs! It was a fantastic sight but it was very sad to read at the blog that the cubs had been killed!
So I’m very happy that she will have cubs again! Hope they will have a long and good leopard life!
Very good photos! I specially liked the first one with the sunset and the river! Magical!
Thank you for sharing!
Wow- fantastic sightings for you and your guests. So much fun if you can observe on foot!!
That is so incredible, especially to have witnessed that on foot!! I’ve actually had three of my four leopard sightings foot. funnily enough, the first one from far enough in the iMfolozi in 2015, then the second about 7 metres on the path ahead of me in Harold Porter Gardens in Betty’s Bay in 2017 and then a month later behind our showers in Mabuasehube in the Kgalagadi.
Awesome blog & pictures Rob, especially the sun shining through the trees. Thank you & well done to you for taking the guests to witness this, now I feel that I was there too 🙂