With the Sand River historically acting very much like our own version of The Wall from Game of Thrones, we used to find that it acted as a convenient territorial boundary for the leopards that inhabited its banks.
With the river not flowing as strongly as it has in years past – levels have been particularly low since 2015 – it seems that the territorial lines have become a bit more blurred, as crossing the river can simply be a matter of stepping over a narrow channel, or at the most, hopping between a couple of rocks.
Leopards that used to stay in the north have pushed south and vice versa, and we have been seeing encroachments from all points of the compass, so we want to give a brief run-down of who’s who beyond the Sand River:
Females
Ingrid Dam Female
One of Londolozi’s least documented leopards, the Ingrid Dam female was presumed to have been born to the skittish Ximpalapala female, sometime around 2008-2009.
She has already successfully raised two female offspring, but her litter from earlier this year seems to be no more, as no sign of a cub has been had in the north-western areas for some time now, and we have seen her venturing far south of the river to mate with the Flat Rock male.
Sightings have been few and far between over the last few months, so our hope is that she may be secreting a new litter somewhere.
Nanga Female
Formerly one of the North’s most viewed leopards, this female has ceded territory to her daughter the Makomsava female and is not often seen these days. She inhabits the extensive Bushwillow thickets of the north-east, and we see her maybe once every two weeks, if that.
Makomsava Female
The daughter of the Nanga female – and the only one of that female’s offspring to survive thus far – the Makomsava female seems to have had a propitious start to independence, essentially being gifted her mother’s territory. Through what mechanisms this took place we aren’t too sure, all we know is that she has suddenly become one of the most prominent leopards in the North, occupying territory all along the Manyelethi River.
Nhlanguleni Female
The dominant female along most of the Sand River’s northern bank on Londolozi, and south of it to the west of camp, the Nhlanguleni female can officially now be said to have raised her latest litter to independence. She has been mating with the Flat Rock male on and off for a few weeks, so it seems as though she is ready to reproduce again, and her two daughters are almost never seen with her anymore. This in itself is a huge cause for celebration, given that this is the first time an intact litter has been successfully raised since the Nhlanguleni female herself reached independence with her brother.
Males
Anderson Male
Formerly the dominant male over almost the entire northern sector of Londolozi, the huge Anderson male seems to be losing his hold on a lot of it. Having been in a number of scuffles with both the Hosana and Hukumuri males (the Hukumuri male interaction is presumed based on wounds and tracks), this massive leopard might be on the downward slope to being ousted from his territory.
Flat Rock Male
The Flat Rock male was very lucky when he arrived on Londolozi, as a territory was up for grabs thanks to the recent demise of the 4:4 male, who had died of wounds inflicted by the Ntsevu Pride.
The Flat Rock male – only young at the time – established himself into a small corner in west Londolozi which he steadily expanded as he has grown, and we now see him pushing further and further into the Anderson male’s patch to the north of the Sand River. He also recently fought with the Inyathini male, and rangers reported that it was very much the Inyathini male who got the worst of the encounter…
Senegal Bush Male
A relatively unknown leopard on Londolozi, the Senegal Bush male spends the majority of his time east of our reserve, but has started being seen more and more along the Sand River, and is occasionally found up in our north-east.
We know he has been mating extensively with the Nkoveni female (who, like the Nanga female, also seems to be ceding territory to her daughter), but he has yet to make any serious encursions into the area controlled by the Flat Rock male. If the Anderson male truly loses his grip on the North, the Senegal Bush male may well move in from the east.
Hukumuri Male
One of the biggest question marks in our leopard population at the moment. He didn’t get assigned an area on the territorial map as technically he is still territorial to the north of Londolozi.
The Hukumuri male came striding onto our reserve one day, and promptly lost an eye and had half his ear ripped off.
He is still pushing south around the Manyelethi, but it’s quite possible that his injuries might rein in his territorial ambitions somewhat.
Hosana Male
We haven’t included this male on the territory map above, as he is not yet territorial, and seems only to be prospecting, as it were. Sniffing around and testing the scent of other leopards, without yet scent-marking himself, it almost seems like he’s biding his time.
Thank you for the update James. It is great to see that the Makomsava female is doing well. We had a fantastic sighting of her interacting with a hyena. We were fortunate to see the Senegal bush male last year.
Great update James,interesting times ahead for sure.In my opinion,Hosana is too insecure to properly challenge any of the established males,a short while ago he was even intimidated by a 2 year old female.Hukumuri,as you stated,came striding into the area and now has a ripped ear and has lost an eye,the prime suspect being Anderson because he had some scratches around that time.Just yesterday,Anderson chased Hukumuri off a kill up in the north and afterwards Hukumuri stood under the tree for half a day without once trying to take back the kill so the hierarchy between them looks to be sorted.Especially in the north,Anderson seems to be making some sort of comeback,being seen much more after some rough times so maybe the same will happen in Londolozi.Inyathini looks to be in trouble,N’weti has taken his territory in Umkumbe and Nottens and completely dominates him,there is a new male that has started to take up residence in his territory in Malamala and now Flat Rock challenges him in Londolozi.Do you see N’weti in Londolozi?I think he will dominate the south for a long time,he came into the area and immediately dominated Inyathini and Maxabeni,two of the strongest males in the Sabi Sands.
Hi Alexander, yes we see the N’weti male in the south-east from time to time. It will be interesting to see what happens there…
Quick question do you guys have a different name for the split rock male as he is known in Mala Mala and does he feature in the North or South
We were fortunate to have observed some of these trends which were clearly explained to us by Sean & Joy. Sightings included Makomsava female, Nhlanguleni Female (mating with Flat Rock male), Nkoveni female and multiple sightings of the Mashaba.
Interesting intersection of the Flat Rock Male with Nhlanguleni and Ingrid Dam.
Is Hosana the son of Karula, the Queen of Djuma?
I think so Sara
Yes Sara, Hosana is Karula’s son
Senegal Bush Male is also Karula’s son from previous litter of Hosana’s. So, about 2 years between them. Fathers are different though, Mvula and Tingana.
Hosana is karula and tingana the queen and king of djuma.
A nice blog James on the big cats. Thank you for the update on anderson. I had asked previously if he was still alive and know that he sustained some nasty injuries some time ago. He is a beautiful cat and sad to see that he is in decline. Thanks for sharing the dynamics with us.
Hosanna is known as the Prince for those of us who watch Safari Live. He is a character and it would be very fortunate for you if Londolozi saw more of him. He is a gorgeous!
Thanks for this Jim, it helps to have a concise record, Enjoy your Sunday!
Lovely Ladies and Handsome Gents -thanks!
James, wonderful article – keeping track of the leopards in the area must be a daunting task.
Thankfully all the rangers help compile the sightings data, so it’ not all that hard…
I love your writing style. Keep them coming. I read the blog daily, and cannot wait for the new one to come out, James.
Thanks James for the leopard update! It will be interesting to see how it plays out over the coming months and next year. Question about the male leopards: Anderson is the biggest physically, how do the other males compare size-wise? Specifically Senegal vs Flat Rock vs Hukumuri and Inyanthini?
Hi Chris,
Anderson is certainly the biggest male I’ve seen.
Flat Rock male is pretty big and has only recently hit full-size. The Senegal Bush male has always struck me as being slightly smaller but I’ve never seen him up close, and I’ve never seen the Hukumuri male in the flesh. The Inyathini male is big but given that he came off second best in a recent fight with the Flat Rock male, things might not go well for him over the next couple of months…
I’m confused. I read in a post last week that Nanga’s male cub from her first litter was still alive in the north, sharing/being tolerated in a territory with his father. Is that correct?
Hi Lynn,
That can’t have been one of our posts.
A young cub of hers was forced into independence aged about 12 months – I think from her first or second litter – as she gave birth again very quickly. He hung around for a week or two but then disappeared, presumed dead.
If he is still alive that would be fantastic.
Are you maybe thinking of the Tortoise Pan male who was born to the Ndzanzeni female?
It is constantly amazing to “listen” to all of the information you accumulate regarding the territorial aspects of all of these leopards! Amazing! The dynamics of these cats are so volatile and the ever present threats from resident lions, hyaena and wild dogs makes your reporting all the more interesting.
Wow, this is a great update. Will be quite interesting to how the players and their territories might change with the new interlopers as well as the Tortoise Pan male. I noticed the Ndzanzeni isn’t mentioned. Is she south of the Sand River?
Hi Denise,
Yes, she’s way down south.
We’ll do another update on the southern leopards soon…
The research and knowledge that went into this article represents years of tracking. Many thanks
Thank you for the information. Hosana is a personal favorite. Always enjoy my daily blog. Thank you.
Good update James…occasionally watch Safari Live (Sabi Sands I think)…how close are you to them? They seem to mention periodically one or two of the leopards above. Jim
Hi Jim,
We’re not too far as the crow flies, but won’t see too many of the same individuals as leopards tend to have relatively small territories here. The males (bigger territories) and recently independent individuals (nomadic) are the ones that will most likely be seen in both areas.
Thanks James for this. The research is impeccable and so useful understanding how these animals live. As you know we have been searching for the Anderson for 4 consecutive years and still not seen him. This is part of the enjoyment in knowing it all is just not on a plate, but digital tracking is second best and can bring back the pleasures of the Bush from a long way away. Looking forward to the south update and see you in the new year.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the request for the update in the first place! It make sure we check our records and recalibrate.
Yip, the Anderson male is pretty elusive.
Looking forward to seeing you at New Year again!
Thanks for the update, I needed to be brought up to speed on the leopard dynamics!!
James, you said that you had video footage of Hosana interacting with the Anderson Male, a week or more ago. We who follow SafariLive and Londolozi are very interested in what happens to Hosana. The written territory update is great, but nothing compares to actual real video to understand their stories. I have been waiting to see this. Thanks!
It’s coming out today Bruce!
Thank you for the updates, have you posted the video of Hosana with his recent interactions. I might have missed it, although been watching the blogs since Monday.