There are many leopards at Londolozi.
Some that we get to see regularly and then a few that are very seldom encountered; this latter group includes one particular leopard, the Ndzanzeni female.
The Ndzanzeni female, part of the Royal family of Londolozi leopards as she is a descendent of the original Mother Leopard.
The Ndzanzeni female is the last surviving female born into the Mother leopard lineage, which was the first viewable leopard seen at Londolozi way back in 1979, so I guess you can say she is Londolozi Royalty, and until recently I had never lain eyes on her.
So when I heard on the radio that a female leopard had been seen in the south-eastern parts of the reserve, an area where she is territorial, I just had to try and get a glimpse of this leopard of legendary descent.
The Ndzanzeni female is not often seen…
Once we arrived we saw that not only was it the Ndzanzeni female but she was also in a tree that I’m sure most rangers here – myself included – would give anything to see a leopard in; she was in the prominent Natal Mahogany on Dudley River bank. It is a tree that every time I drive past I drive extra slowly just to have a good look to see if we are going to be lucky enough to see a leopard in in its branches, and then I always turn to my guests and say “One day…”
And that day finally happened!
Ranger Jessica Shillaw managed to capture a quick photo of the Ndzanzeni female in the Mahogany before she came down.
After all the initial excitement she climbed down and we managed to get a good look at her through the binoculars, and that’s when we saw something even more exciting: suckle marks! When a leopard is still lactating you can see darker marks around the mammary glands and they are slightly swollen, which is what we saw, which means that the Ndzanzeni female has cubs somewhere!
The Ndzanzeni female and a cub from her previous litter.
So not only did I finally get to see the leopard I have been dying to see for so long now, I got to see her in a tree that I have longed to see a leopard in and we now know that she has a litter hidden, and there is a chance that the Royal leopard bloodline will continue.
Now all we need to do is find the cubs…
Lovely blog Tayla.
Thank you so much for this, Tayla. Ndzanzeni is my no1 favourite, and I’ve been getting concerned as I haven’t heard any news about her for a very long time. Pleased to hear she is in her mother’s old territory, and VERY pleased to hear about the cubs! Let’s hope she has more success this time, as I think Tortoise Pan is her only cub to reach independence?
Tayla, I loved all the photos, especially leoapard🤗
So exciting a find. Sure hope her Cubs grow up and keep the bloodline going. Cant wait to see the Cubs
Wow it’s so emotional… Her Majesty, much better than human royal tales! Thank you for the lovely pictures and sharing your story, let’s hope to find the whole family alive and kicking!
Beautiful sighting and am very happy that you got to see this beautiful female leopard. Loved the shot of her walking towards the camera. Thank you so much for posting.
This must have been spectacular to see. I really hope the cubs make it to adult hood so that the Royal bloodline can continue. Please keep us updated if you maybe get to view them.
Wow absolutely exciting! I love just seeing the photos!
What happen to her other cub
Hi Tammy
She managed to raise her previous cub to full independence and he is known at the Tortoise Pan male. We havent seen him on Londolozi for a while now but I believe he has been seen north of Londolozi.
Amazing!!
What a wonderful story and beautiful pictures. I think this female is extremely pretty, would love to see her.
Tayla, what a princess she is 💕. What does Ndzanzeni mean..?…. if it’s not princess or royal then perhaps one of her cubs (hoping there is more than one!), should be so named to carry the royal bloodline. Fingers crossed you get to meet them soon 🤞
Hi Tayla! The Ndzanzeni Female is my favorite Londolozi leopard and am so excited she is doing well! Any idea if the cub pictured above survived to maturity? Please keep ups updated on her progress with this new litter!
Hi Michael. Yes the cub did manage to make it to independence and he is known as the Tortoise Pan Male.
Tayla what a sighting that was to see the Ndzanzeni female, who has been eluding everyone. She certainly is royality being the descendant from the original mother leopard. What a beautiful leopard and so precious. What makes the sighting even more exhilarating, is the fact that she has suckling marks. Hope you can find her den and see the cubs soon.
Wow, what a great and fortuitous sighting Tayla!! I very excited to of any other encounters with this Royal leopard and her offspring!!
Congratulations on both of the boxes ticked off- seeing the Ndzanzeni female firstly and in the tree where you had hoped to see one. The lineage of the Mother Leopard is a mere thread now, but hopefully the Ndzanzeni female will again raise at least one cub to adulthood as she’s done in the past.
Of all the safari photos hanging in our home, the Ndzanzeni female’s photo generates the most comments–awesome!
Gorgeous!!!!!!!!
Tayla, thanks for a great post! We share in your excitement and are thrilled to see the images of this royal leopard!
What a beautiful sighting Tayla. She is magnificent! Very exciting you got to see her. Hopefully soon, she will bring her cubs for all to see. Looking forward to your next drive. Stay safe.
Cannot wait to see if she brings her babies out!
How exciting. I’ve been worried about the bloodline of Mother Leopard dying out. Would be wonderful if she has at least two females and could raise them to independence.