The last few weeks at Londolozi can only be described as superb. The recent rains coupled with the warm weather have launched the bush into summer and the sightings of the reserve’s numerous inhabitants have been nothing short of spectacular. That being said, the task of finding animals is not without its challenges and we often have to work hard in order to find the animals we’re after. Sometimes, instead of targeting a specific animal or species for a given game drive, the ranger and tracker team decide that the best option is simply to head out into the wilderness and see what the bush has to offer. Coming off the back of a few high intensity game drives, tracker Life Sibuyi and I, along with our guests, decided it was time to explore a different area and see what Londolozi would provide.
We decided to head into the north-western part of Londolozi; an area that often goes unexplored purely due to the fact that there is often so much animal activity closer to camp. Nevertheless, we found ourselves rounding a bend in the road up in the north-western section when Life stopped me suddenly. A quick check with the binoculars confirmed his suspicion: on the rocky hillside below us lay a female leopard.
A small female often found in NW Marthly. Similar spot pattern to her mother the Ingrid Dam Female.
The view that first greeted us as we negotiated our way off-road through the boulder strewn countryside.
Moments after our initial view, the leopard revealed herself as the Xinzele female. She was lying on top of a large boulder that provided a good view of the valley in front of her.
The next moment the sun peaked out from behind a cloud, persuading the Xinzele female to reposition herself. We followed suit in order to get ourselves between the sun and the leopard. This move made for for a great view of the golden cat contrasting with the dark cloudy sky in the background.
It seemed as thought the female’s first position was not quite to her liking and she shuffled around the boulder until she found the perfect place to rest in the late afternoon breeze.
Staring westwards into the dying sun.
Finally satisfied with her chosen spot on the rock, the leopard took a moment to rest before what would most likely be a busy night.
The Xinzele female has been independent for a while now yet sightings of her were scarce at the beginning of the year. In the last few weeks, we have seen her in the north-west of Londolozi more often and she has even been seen mating with the Flat Rock male. It seems as though her mother has ceded territory to her, as we haven’t seen her mother (the Ingrid Dam female) for quite some time. Hopefully she decides to settle in this area, proving us with extra incentive to make explore this special corner of the reserve.
She is gorgeous! I saw her twice as a cub with her mother during drives with Nick. That was the 2nd sighting ever of her 🙂
Magnificent Cat
Wonderful images Nick, seeming to capture many “moods.”
Nick, I saved the Xinzele leopard, and I also saved also saved leopard on the rock, also saved the leopard on the rock🤗
What fantastic photos!!! A leopard resting on boulders—perfect!
Great photos of the Xinzele female Nick – particularly like composition of first photo with the curve of her back against the contour of boulder and the final, with pensive expression, anticipating the hopefully busy night you suggested. Thank you.
Xinzele Leopard …….wow …. she is just beautiful and her poses may be her just doing what she wants to do to get comfortable but she is regal and confident and awesome and she knows it!!!!! Just hanging out with her mate the Flat Rock Male ….doing what comes naturally ….the photography is superb….thank you so much …. made my morning here on Long Island, NY where the temps are only in the 40s this AM and the leaves all all coming down now. Perfection all around.
Bird ID Challenge answer from Monday?
Hi Wynn, it was a thick-billed cuckoo…
Xinzele is every bit as beautiful, and fond of termite mounds, as her older sister, Xidulu! We also found her on a termite mound on the northern border of Londolozi in July 2019 and she posed for some nice photos before slipping away to hunt in the dusk!
Simply perfect. Such a lovely day and a marvellous creature
What an amazing tracker Life is! The Xinzele female is a beautiful girl. She seems to be posing in the last photo, looking quite demure. How old is she now and to where do you think her mother has gone? Thanks Nick for keeping the dream alive.
Hi Jennifer, we are not 100% sure where her mother has gone but it seems as though the Ingrid Dam female has moved west towards Othawa. The Ingrid Dam female was born in mid-2017, making her just over three years old.
How beautiful these pictures are! Leopards are just the most beautiful animals, I think.
Great photos, love the leopards!
It’s so good to see more photos of the Xinzele female, although I do miss seeing the Ingrid Dam leopard. She was quite beautiful as evidenced by the many photos I took of her in a tree. So happy you and your guests were able to spend time with her daughter.
One would think the Xinzele leopard was on a modeling shoot and was loving every minute of being in the spotlight- spectacular
Nothing like a leopard in the sun on a rock, gripped by an overwhelming urge to stroke her 🙂 silly human!! We have been wondering for some time how the various leopards an lion prides on the reserve get their names?
Hi Jean, apologies for the late reply, I have been on leave. We usually tend to give the prides/leopards their names based on a well known feature in their territory. For example, the Xinzele female was named after a road in Londolozi that goes through her territory.
She is an incredibly beautiful leopard and the photographs are simply stunning. Thank you so much.
What a incredible days viewing Nick 🙏❤️. Thanks for sharing with us ☺️
Stunning pics of a beautiful Leopard !
Great photos Nick, she’s magnificent.
incredible pictures. All the light contrasts were super! thank you. Victoria
Wow! Stunningly beautiful photos of this gorgeous leopard!! The light is amazing, and the dark clouds behind her in several of the photos adds the beauty of the images!
Any sign of her having cubs Nick? Does she spend most of her time on Singita or Othawa?
Hey, sorry about the late reply, I’ve been on leave in the Kruger. No sign of her cubs yet, we saw her mating about a month ago so we will have to wait and see whether it was a successful bout of mating. She spends a lot of her time on Othawa as well as Marthly and will also traverse parts of South Western Arathusa.
Wow Nick, what EXQUISITE pics!!! So stunning, she’s a beautiful girl! So serene and elegant, just mesmerizing!
Wow Nick, What a fantastic set of images of a beautiful leopard! How great that she kept changing positions to give you all her best angles!
This leopard is gorgeous and she positioned herself so beautifully for you to take her foto’s. I loved all the foto’s and she is definitely a golden cat with uniqueness.