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James Tyrrell

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James had hardly touched a camera when he came to Londolozi, but his writing skills that complemented his Honours degree in Zoology meant that he was quickly snapped up by the Londolozi blog team. An environment rich in photographers helped him develop the ...

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33 Comments

on Leopard Update: The North

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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.

Digital Ranger

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…

Master Tracker

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.

Senior Digital Ranger

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.

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