We were stopped admiring a beautiful dead Leadwood tree with a trunk so wide it must have been hundreds of years old. The morning light lit up the weathered silvery waves of wood that streamed down its trunk. Squirrels and dwarf mongooses basked in the warm winter sun’s rays that had just broken the horizon.
A kudu’s bark broke the silence. It was a warning call and could only mean one thing; the kudu had seen danger. Kudu are the largest antelope seen at Londolozi and will only sound the alarm if they see a large predator, usually leopard or lion.
We bee-lined for where we had heard the kudus. Hoping the threat was still nearby, we neared the herd, trying to catch a glimpse of a predator. They alarmed again right next to us. There is something quite awe-inspiring when sitting right next to a kudu when it alarm calls. It is deafening! It makes one jump with fright every time it happens.
Two other Londolozi ranger-and-tracker pairs with their guests were in the area and between us we quickly managed to find what was upsetting the kudu; a female leopard. She was moving quite steadily south, trying to escape the attention of the big antelope that were still barking. On being spotted, leopards will usually avoid prey as the element of surprise has been lost, and even if they were not hunting, the alarm calls may attract the unwanted attention of other predators, like hyena or even lion.
The Mashaba female on the move.
We followed for a while until the leopard headed straight into a densely vegetated river bank. We decided to loop around and drive upstream in the open, dry riverbed to where she was seen headed. With help from Ranger Shaun D’Araujo waiting on the bank where she was last seen, we were guided to roughly where he thought she may pop out on the sand-bottomed river bed.
As we slowly made our way upstream hoping to spot the leopard we noticed something in a tree over hanging the riverbed. I quickly lifted my binoculars and to my surprise it was another leopard feeding on something. The leopard looked small through the branches, but I initially thought that might be an optical illusion because of the view. As we edged around the bend in the river we got full view of a leopard cub chewing on what was left of an impala ram head. We could not believe our luck!
The Ndzanzeni female’s cub – which looks to be a young male – is still very skittish, having not been viewed regularly at all.
We sat and watched for a few minutes looking around to see if we could see the mother when into the riverbed walked the first female leopard who we knew not to be the mother. She headed straight for the tree where the cub was feeding, and the cub upon seeing this unfamiliar leopard, shot up into the very top branches of the magnificent Weeping Boer Bean tree. Then out of the shadows appeared the notably smaller mother who stood her ground at the base of the tree, growling. Female leopards may kill cubs that are not their own as they compete for territory and food resources, although it isn’t well documented. We recognized the mother to be the Ndzanzeni female trying to protect her cub (and protect her almost-finished impala kill) from the larger Mashaba female.
Royal descendant of Mother Leopard lineage. Remarkable single cub success story who overcame injury to continue the royal bloodline.
Londolozi's oldest territorial female. Distinguished by her nose spot, this Sunsetbend matriarch's legacy lives on through her daughters.
The Ndzanzeni female peers out from the root system of the exact same tree during a different sighting a few years ago in which she also had a hoisted kill in the Weeping Boer Bean.
Watch this incredibly tense moment as they stood inches from each other growling before erupting into a brief fight:
The female intruder clearly showed her dominance as, after the scuffle, she pushed past the mother and ascended the tree. We feared the worst as she went straight up after the cub. To our relief she turned back down the tree shortly before reaching it, seemingly uninterested in the cub. Perhaps she was just after the kill, which in all the commotion had dropped out of the tree into the long grass. Both adults eventually descended the tree leaving the cub still clinging to the extremities of the tree canopy. They continued to growl and keep an eye on each other until the Mashaba female eventually left.
The Mashaba female is becoming more and more of an enigma; her shifted territory means that we do not have a comprehensive understanding of her movements anymore.
I had a few questions after this sighting. Had the Mashaba female known that the Ndzanzeni female and her cub had a kill in the area? Had she smelt it out? From where we first found her when the kudu were alarming, she had walked a straight line for about 400m directly to where the kill was. Perhaps another animal had alarmed at the mother leopard and cub and she had gone to investigate. Or was it all just by chance?
And why had she run up the tree after the cub with such intent only to turn back? She could easily have caught the cub and killed it.
Whatever the reasons, we were relieved all had ended well and could not believe what we had been so lucky to witness. As we drove away we decided we best stop for a coffee break to calm the nerves and relive the excitement. Which we did again… and again… and again…
Filmed by Londolozi Guest Patrick Rowell
Amazing video. Fantastic that the cub is safe.
Right place at the right time. Great photography and video. Thanks Rob
Oh my word! Thank goodness the scuffle ended without any apparent injury. I’d never realised how much bigger Mashaba is compared to Ndzanzeni. Would the fact that the Dudley River Bank female was pretty elderly when she had Ndzanzeni have anything to do with her smaller size?
I had the same thought about the Ndzanzeni’s size Suzanne. My all-time favorite image that I’ve captured is of the Ndzanzeni female drinking from a small pool bathed in golden morning sunlight.
Yes – there is a big difference in size between the two adult leopards. So glad that the young cub kept out of the way and was OK. In fact, no-one apparently was hurt – just a bit of a snarl and spit. Thank you so much, Rob, for a really interesting and action packed video and pics! Wendy M
Fantastic video, Rob! What an interesting exchange between female leopards. I would have been so worried about the cub if I had been there. I am glad nothing terrible happened! Thanks for sharing
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What an amazing story and video! Your adrenaline must have been pumping seeing the two leopards fighting (who does one cheer for?!) and realizing the danger the cub was in. So glad everyone ended up healthy!
Wow…. fantastic video. Thanks Vanessa
Rob, great blog today. I have never seen two female leopards fighting. I am very surprised that Mashaba female did not take the cub
Wow, that is absolutely insane!! I’m glad the cub came out unharmed!
Super video chronicling the argument between the two females. I’m surprised the Ndzanzeni female wasn’t even more aggressive considering her cub was up the tree and that Mashaba seemed to have lost interest and walked away. Just proves animal behavior is not predictable. Trust there was some bush coffee served to quell some of the nervous excitement!!
Not often we get to see two Leopards fighting much-wise with the notable Mashaba! Thankfully the cub is safe and that neither adult leopards were hurt. Your adrenaline must have been through the roof!
Rob, Incredible video! Mashaba looked so powerful and was not backing down at all in the fight! Super happy that the cub is safe! Maybe Mashaba was remembering the cubs she has lost and chose not to hurt the cub…
Wow my heart was in my mouth for a second there, but very relieved that the cub was safe! It’s not nice to see the anger of a female leopard killing another’s cub! Stunning video & pictures thanks Rob & Guest
Whew! That was quite a scuffle! Thank heavens no one was badly hurt. Scary but exciting to watch live! Victoria