Ranger Sean Zeederberg reports on this dramatic sighting:
“When we arrived the Hosana male was lying on a termite mound about 100 metres away from where the Anderson male was feeding on a kill up in a Marula tree. The Hosana male slowly approached, ending up on another termite mound a lot closer; he was salivating heavily the whole time, as leopards will do when they clash with a rival of the same sex. The Anderson male had meanwhile come down from the tree and started growling as the Hosana male came closer, eventually ending up back at the base of the tree as the Hosana male got to within about 20 metres.
The Hosana male was acting submissively, rolling around on the ground, but yet he still pushed forward, eventually facing off against the much bigger Anderson male from only a metre or two away.
When the Anderson male eventually took a swipe at him, we expected the young male to back down, but he did exactly the opposite, launching himself at his adversary:
Both males seemed to emerge from the brief brawl relatively unhurt, and both stood there for another minute or two growling at each other. The Hosana male clearly wanted to climb the tree, but didn’t want to expose his vulnerable rear and flank to the other male, so he waited until the Anderson male was just out of reach then launched himself up into the branches.
We think the Hosana male had made the kill in the first place, else it would be unlikely that he would have pressed so hard to go up the tree.”
Last year the Anderson male kept the Thamba male (related to the Hosana male) treed for a whole day after he robbed him of a kill, whereas this time, the Hosana male – not too dissimilar in size from the Thamba male – was able to force his way past the Anderson male. It seems that the tables are slowly turning on the old Anderson male, and we may see some dramatic shifts in the male leopard population north of the Sand River over the upcoming months…
Unofficially the biggest leopard in the Sabi Sands, the Anderson male is an absolutely enormous individual in north western Londolozi.
The Hosana Male arrived in mid-2018 and is now dominant over Othawa, rarely seen on Londolozi's western boundary.
It is just getting more interesting. It will be great if Hosanna establish a territiry at Londolozi. Amazing video.
i wanted hosana to establish his territory to the north djuma wonder what pushing him to go south 🦁
better food and water opportunities at Londo
I want him to come back to djuma but that was awesome. He becoming a big boy.
So proud of Hosana. I just hopes he makes his way back to Djuma to establish a territory.
James, loved the video!
Wowzer, and hyenas as well. What an excellent sighting.
Wow, quite the confrontation! Loved this video! Thanks for sharing!
Great sighting Sean + fantastic video! Bravo!
Thanks for the explanation – I am a fan of both and glad neither leopard was injured in the altercation
Ask Mr Anderson, if her would kindly send Hosana back North! I love both of these cats and would love to see Hosana settle at Londolozi if he can’t stay in the north. Of course I also don’t want Anderson to get older and have to relinquish territory. That being said maybe a smaller territory would be more manageable for him now.. Thank you for posting. Hosana is quite the character.
Very interesting interaction between Anderson and young Hosana. Thx for sharing!
Very interesting how all the hyenas came running to the brawl. Maybe they thought there might be a kill to be had while the leopards were fighting?
Wow! Hosana asserting himself! Be careful my boy and come back home soon!
Wow…. amazing video!
Fantastic video👏 Only time will tell if the younger rivals for territory will ultimately force the “old timers” into a substantially smaller habitat, leave or …..? The leopard dynamics are fascinating.
Has the Tsalala lioness been spotted recently with her last cub? So hoping this little one will survive!!
Quite an exciting video. The leopard dynamics are clearly evolving but I’ll keep rooting for the old guy for awhile!
Love this! Love Hosana! Thanks for sharing!
Wow Hossy…you are growing up and not that much smaller than massive Mr Anderson…thank you for the capture James…I wouldn’t have believed it…knowing about Anderson’s size and notoriety…I thought Hosana would have come a very, very second best…and very much injured….
That was today.
James thanks for the video and update on the Leopards!! I have watched Hosanna since he was a cub to Karula!! Miss the Queen – Long live the Prince!!!
Unbelievable!!! I’m a little surprised that Hosana was able to get to the kill, given how the Anderson Male is bigger than he is.
Very exciting video!!! Glad Sean (?) was able to capture it!!!!!
Hosana certainly, while smaller, felt he could have a go at Anderson. All part of growing up but the contrast between he and Thamba (who is now territorial on Singita at just over three-years old) in terms of their encounters with Anderson is quite something
Ah, so that is what Hosana gets into when he is not at his childhood home at Sabi Sands. Has anyone heard him saw, yet?
Oh wow! Hosana, Hosana, Hosana…. Silly move, Hosana. Anderson is a beast. Battle scarred but still a beast. I wonder if this will send Hosana back to Djuma… Or cause Anderson to move closer to Djuma… Interesting!
Great video
This is a long and fascinating video! Just waiting for the inevitable clash between these two. Thankfully no one was really hurt after the tussle. Still cheering for old man Anderson. Those hyena’s are relentless!
Oh, my. My heart went pit a pat. Don’t want anything to happen to my Hosana… Thank you for taking good care of him.
Wow Hosana has come a long way. Missed seeing him when I was there in July. I think he came back just shortly after I left.
Thank you so much for sharing James, Incredible video and narration of the events. It will be interesting to see what’s going to happen in coming months with the male leopard dynamics.
Curious about knowing exactly when this took place? And has there been any more sighting of Hosana after this incidence?
Hi Reema, no sightings as far as I know. The sighting was from about a week ago
You go Hosana! Our boy is growing!!!!
Wow!
Amazing shots of the two leopards. Thanks.