It’s probably time to face facts.
It’s been a couple of weeks since the Anderson male was last seen, and in the last sighting of him he was clearly not in good condition.
When older male leopards are ousted from their territories their decline is usually on an accelerating trajectory, and often within a year to 18 months they will most likely be gone. They are forced to bounce between areas that have other rival males in control, they are consistently avoiding conflict, living day to day simply eking out an existence. We have seen old males forced to raid fish eagles’ nests, chew on monitor lizards, and eat carcasses so old that even the hyenas are put off.
The last known photo series of the Anderson male show a leopard in a very poor state.
And what we’ve seen in the behaviours of a number of deposed leopards over the years is the same thing we saw in the Anderson male; he took to the River.
The Sand River’s extensive reedbeds and thickets provide the cover he needed to hide from rival predators, and the cover necessary to hunt the surplus prey that abounds along the banks and in the riverbed itself. And this is where the last couple of sightings of him took place.
Unofficially the biggest leopard in the Sabi Sands, the Anderson male is an absolutely enormous individual in north western Londolozi.
A severely sunken stomach and partly atrophied condition are sure signs that the Anderson male was not long for this world.
One saw him robbed of his nyala kill by the Ntsevu pride, and the second was a couple of days later, only a hundred metres or so away.
In both he was looking scarred, cut, emaciated, and generally battered and bruised. Anything but a leopard in his prime.
It is a shame that a once impressive creature should be in such a decline in his last months.
We’ve seen the signs too many times before to delude ourselves. These were images of a male leopard very close to the end.
All we can hope is that when the end came, it was quick.
What happens in the territory he left behind north of the River we’ll only properly work out over the next 6 months or so, so for now we’ll simply make our peace with the fact that one of Londolozi’s – and the greater Sabi Sand Reserve’s – biggest and most enigmatic leopards has left us.
It is sad. So many older males lost in the last few years. It is nature, but still diffucult to accept.
He was such an impressive leopard. Hurts to see him in that condition. Farewell,Anderson.
While I am a newer visitor to Londolozi this leopard appears to of lk have brought many great sightings and joy to all. I was fortunate enough to see him in action.
A sad but expected end to a legend.
there is a time to come and sadly enough a time to go
I seem to remember a FB-post by EP about him, being seen there recently………….. Or do you think there is another Anderson male as well??
Hi Irene, this would be great news if true.
Do you know when the post was from?
Not more than a week ago, James. He was lying on a big rock, I remember. So when you meet EPs, perhaps they can tell you. Anyone with traversing rights in their direction?
James, so sorry to hear the Anderson Male Leopard has gone forever. We saw him in 2017 when we were with our granddaughter, and her parents.
While you are most likely correct, that Anderson has passed into memory, I have to tell a story of another leopard, who not so long ago was thought to be at deaths door. Tingana male now age 13, was 11 when he became extremely emaciated and weak, we all thought he was not long for this world but after a time he started to recover and within a few months had returned to his dominant self. While losing territory and getting older he is still looking rather well. I hold out some slight hope that maybe Mr Anderson will find his way back also. Thank you for keeping us updated. It truly is sad to loose one of our icons..
Let’s hope so MJ.
We haven’t seen him for a while or heard reports of him but maybe he is still around…
What a shame to see such a magnificent animal so deteriorated. I am glad that we finally saw him during visit #5; he was impressive even at rest and in sleep! Will his genetic line continue in any of today’s leopard residents?
Well, as always, it’s disheartening to learn that such a massive and charismatic leopard may have passed into the great leopard colony in the beyond. Whilst never experiencing his presence, through photographs, I feel like he’s an old friend and he will be missed by all of us. Do you know if he has any offspring still in the territory?
So sad to read this, We have been following the blog almost daily since we visited Londolozi in 2018, and were fortunate enough to spend a few hours in the very close company of the Anderson male who was almost a mythical figure.
He was very impressive sight, enormous and had a very ghostly appearance with his very light eyes.
Thankfully I was able to take some memorable photos of him, static, on the move and also up a tree feeding on a carcass.
I love the way Londolozi keeps their visitors constantly involved with the wildlife on the concession through their blog.
Can’t wait for the next TWIP.
The Anderson male occupies a special place in my heart. It was my first visit to Londolozi in late 2016 and he was the first leopard I saw on the property. It was a proper sighting, too, as he was mating with the Ingrid Dam female, and the disparity in their size struck me forcefully. Hopefully his genes were transmitted to the next generation, and he is still with us.
Sad. He is/was truly a force in the Londolozi hierarchy.
Typical ages range from 12-15, or so I’ve read, so you would expect the biggest guy out there to have another year or two. Or (like humans) do females live longer and the 12-15 is an average age for both sexes?
This is truly heartbreaking, I knew that he was declining but I never gave out hope that he would turn around. This is truly a sad day. RIP.
Sad to think that Anderson has slipped into the realm of great Sabi Sands leopards, but I personally believe that his size caused the aging process to take hold much more quickly than it would on a smaller male, in addition to genes playing a role.
Sad news he’ll definitely be missed. R.I.P Warrior
Thanks for the update on Anderson James. Tears in my eyes reading your blog. I realize that this is the bush and we all must go to the happy hunting grounds eventually, however, he was a magnificent cat and one can only hope and pray that the end came quickly and painlessly. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
So sorry to hear that The Anderson Male Leopard has possibly passed. He was such a Beautiful Creature, hopefully it was quick!❤️❤️
A sad commentary indeed James
This is really sad to hear, he truly was a legendary cat
The Anderson male was a magnificent Leopard and it do spas to say goodbye! Victoria
Because hosana what looked like had an advantage and beat him in the previous fight between the two, could Hosana take over his territory because he clearly had him beaten and protected his kill?
Such a beautiful leopard