Pete Thorpe was extremely fortunate to be in the right place recently, watching the Makomsava female move dens. The new site is only about a hundred meters from the previous one, and from what we’ve seen, is slightly more secure. It has many small crevices and cracks for the cubs to hide away in, which are too small for the likes of a hyena or lion to put their head inside. This certainly leaves us feeling a lot more comfortable when we do leave the den as we know the cubs are safer.
The Makomsava female grooms her cub after it had just finished nursing. The licking of her cubs is not only used as a method to clean them, but her coarse tongue apparently also improves blood circulation.
One of the great things for us is that the new den is just above eye level from where we park the Land Rover to view from, which gives us incredible sightings of the leopards if the mother is there. The cubs we presume are roughly four to five weeks old now as their eyes are still very blue. They are also still very wobbly on their feet and are mostly seen moving around clumsily on top of their mother as they seek for a teat to suckle or play with one another on top of the boulder.
Cubs of this age can be very inquisitive. The mood and comfort level of the mother will play a big role in how quickly the cubs become habituated to the sound and presence of the vehicles. This Makomsava female is very comfortable with the movement of Land Rovers and it seems as though one of the the cubs is a lot more relaxed than the other.
From a very young age leopards follow their own natural instinct and are not taught how to hunt. They will often be seen playing with their mothers tail when they are young and any form of movement they will chase after. This may seem as a playful to the untrained eye but even when very young they are starting to practice techniques that will be vital to their survival later in life.
The eyes of leopard cubs will open when they are 6-10 days old, and they rely completely on their mother for milk. Cubs at this age do not have any control over their claws either, and only at about the two-to-three month mark will they start gaining control and be able to keep them retracted. Until then the mother and other cubs get scratched frequently.
At this point I think the cub was more inquisitive in the movement of the vehicles and trying to gauge whether we were a threat or not apposed to chasing its mothers tail.
The cub had been groomed by the mother for some time before it rolled over and wanted to play after suckling. Cubs are suckled for 14 weeks, by which time they weigh roughly three kilograms (give or take), but will start eating meat when they are just over 8 weeks old. They will still suckle as well as be led to kills at roughly 3 months old where they will then start getting weaned off milk and purely eat meat after that.
During the first three months of a cubs life the mother is with them for roughly half the time, although she may leave for periods as long as 36 hours when she is in search of food. The majority of the time the mother will move around in search of food in close proximity to the den. Mothers will seldom bring meat back to the den.
This scene for me just bought back so many memories from my childhood watching The Lion King. Although it is not a lion cub it looks like it’s staring off Pride Rock over the grasslands.
We are extremely happy to have another littler of leopard cubs on Londolozi. This is the Makomsava female’s first litter and research has shown that younger mothers leopards are more successful than older ones. Let’s all hope that this is the case with these two cubs and we will be able to view them for years to come.
It is great to see both cubs are doing well.
Welcome to the world little leopard Kings (or Queens)! They are just adorable. Hopefully the Makomsava female will raise them successfully
There is nothing cuter than a leopard cub, what a buzz to see this beautiful family. Sending positive vibes for long and healthy lives. As always Londolozi many thanks for keeping us in the loop.
This is fantastic!!! Really looking forward to hearing more about this family!!
It will be interesting to follow the exploits of this family moving forward.
We had a great opportunity a few years ago to spend a morning watching a leopard cub learn how to climb a tree. Going up was the “easy” part. Getting down was hilarious as the cub could not easily manage it and continued to go higher in the tree, Mother leopard watched from below the tree. When the cub finally figured it out, it went running to its mother.
Love the leopard cubs!!! Terrific photos! What a perfect setup for photography! Wishing this female the best of luck with her first litter.
Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you, Guy.
Guy, loved all the photos
Guy, thank you for bringing us along with you on this sighting so we can enjoy viewing Makomsava and her cubs. I’m longing to be there, but in the meantime, there’s my daily virtual safaris. I understand some properties have re-opened and trust Londolozi will be doing so as well.
Thank you for this informative post with lovely photos!
That photo of the mother grooming the cub is spectacular. Wow! What a shot. Any idea as to why younger mothers would be more successful raising their cubs than older ones? I would have thought experience would be a big part of success :/
Hi Johanna,
One would think so, but it might be that with first-time cubs the mother is extra cautious and attentive, whereas in later litters she gets a little more blase…
Super photos and info – brought many smiles to our faces.
Guy, great post! How long does it take for their eye color to change and do they have good vision when they are that young?
Hi Guys,
It depends on the cubs, but usually 2-3 months…
They are so cute…. there are just no words! And fabulous fabulous pictures.
Great capture. So precious and since the Mom is relaxed around the vehicles I look forward to more great shots
Beautiful photos guy
, they seem so vulnerable at this stage. Let’s hope the two grow up to give new blood and life to Londolozi 
.
Very lovely family pics of Mom and baby leopards! Thank you so much, Guy, for the facts about the growth of Leopard cubs, facts which I didn’t know. Mom certainly seems to have chosen a really nice den and of course this is also good for you guys for pics! Keep it up! Wendy M
Hi Guy. Who is the most likely candidate to be the cubs father? Did anyone witness mom mating with different males?
Hi Chris,
Most likely the Flat Rock male..
What a heart melter! Absolutely great photos… lucky to be at the right place at the right time… mother looks extremely healthy as do her cubs… what a great way to start my day
Thank you….
Just precious captures Guy! They truly made the latter of a peaceful Saturday afternoon extra special and filled with joy.
Your sharing is so appreciated!
Hi Guy! Fantastic photos of Makhomsava and her cubs! Two quick questions for you, if you don’t mind:
1. Any update on the Nanga Female and if she still has her cubs since Pete and I believe it was you saw her with suckle marks?
2. Also, I have seen Makomsava spelled Makhomsava and was wondering if there was a correct spelling or if both work?
Thanks a bunch!
Hi Michael,
Guy’s on leave so I’ll answer for him.
We haven’t seen the Nanga female for a few weeks now, but we’re going to be checking that area a bit more closely in this coming week. It’s a difficult decision to go look for. supposed den when there’s already an active one closer to camp!
On the spelling, I’ll have to confirm that. We generally just copy it straight off our map which has been up on the wall for years, but now that you mention it I don’t know if the original map was correctly spelt.
I’ll ask around.
Best regards
Thanks so much James! Best to you too!
Great Pictures Guy. My favorite is the one where the mother is grooming her cub.
Oh my heavens! What a wonderful collection of photos of the baby leopards!! so
Thankyou Victoria
Such lovely photos
Pic 2: Makomsava female looks like a carpet on which the little guy plays
Oh my gosh! What fabulous photos! Thank you so much, and for the explanations as well.