Involved Leopards

Mashaba 3:3 Female

Mashaba 3:3 Female

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Ndzanzeni 4:3 Female

Ndzanzeni 4:3 Female

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About the Author

James Tyrrell

Alumni

James had hardly touched a camera when he came to Londolozi, but his writing skills that complemented his Honours degree in Zoology meant that he was quickly snapped up by the Londolozi blog team. An environment rich in photographers helped him develop the ...

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22 Comments

on The Week in Pictures #494

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Another great collection of photos, James. Thanks!

Good to see a recent photo of the Mashaba female. She has been a constant during our visits.

Sorry to hear Ndzanzeni has a leg injury, is it a bad one do you think? Has anyone seen Nanga recently, I was wondering if her bad leg has improved. I’m so jealous of the guests awaiting their breakfast in the bush – I suppose delivering breakfast to the UK is a bit of a push?!

Wonderful pictures! The Mashaba female has a bigger neck a bit like mature males…wow!

Hi Francesca, yes, she is our biggest female for sure!

Senior Digital Ranger

The older leopard, when she can’t catch as many kills will you or someone help her not starve to death, she deserves that much. The leopard with the bad limp does it appear like it will get better. Can someone help her with food, I’d she dies so does her cubs. These animals employ and entertain many people so when they need our help please give it to them. It’s wrong to let any animal suffer when someone can provide help

Senior Digital Ranger

Good morning James!
Collectively, this weeks winning picture(s) is definitely the Elephants! The colors of the environment within the captures are breathtaking and so refreshing.
Next, the pictures of the Ntsevu Lioness,.. She is so Pwetty. 🙂 – Her facial expressions give way to her “feminine” side. She looks so sweet.
Lastly, got a question for you? .. Why are the Birmingham males so “mean?” .. After the killing of the Othawa male, it’s heart breaking. I get that it’s a “dog-eat-dog life out in the bush for the animals, but!! We all know that Othawa was “rare” amongst the bunch, but the final story makes me not like the Birmingham lions. They seem to be the “rough, tough hood rats” of the bush, similar to notorious gang bangers here on the mainland! Do any of the lions or other animals ever AVOID the Birmingham’s when they make their presence? I’m going to “assume” that from the time the lions are cubs, their “upbringing” molds them into what they become? here they come into the world so precious and innocent, and then some of them turn into voracious huge beasts! Just seeing the size of their heads leaves me awestruck! They’re born into this world with adorable tiny head, and helpless cub calls, and then years down the road, they’re heads (skulls) grow HUGE!
Being the Zoologist that you are, what causes their cranial bone structure to become so big? – In comparison to a human, their head is said to weigh 8 pounds. How much does a lion’s head weigh? (not to mention an Elephant Bull? – That bad boy IS MASSIVE!) Has that ever been determined? I’ve read some thing about their neurological makeup, but once again, I’m going to assume that that has nothing to do with their bone structure as they grow into adulthood.
Another contrast that I can’t get over, is seeing the endurance of the Leopards and the Lionesses. They walk and travel an immense amount! Just seeing how they go about their lives to survive makes me verrie.
Your pictures for this week are so beautiful, yet so many questions come to mind,.. Your passion is amazing and inspiring!

Terrific TWIP! Loved that last photo the best! Beautiful colors, water drops and of course, those magnificent animals! Thanks for sharing!

Good to hear the Mashaba female leopard is still alive and well, she is my favourite leopard. The Birmingham male lions are impressive, but so was the Othawa male lion, pity he crossed over into the Birmingham male lions territory and they killed him. Elephants at a waterhole are always a pleasure to watch. Never ever seen elephants mating before and that is a very rare sighting, good foto in the end. Shame I wonder what happened to the Ndzanzeni female, as you say she has a bad limp. Cubs are gorgeous. Wonderful foto’s thanks James.

James, loved the lions🤗

Love ellies and ‘soon’ there will be a new one. Great shot and the one of the ellies drinking. I could watch them all day long.

I know you must burn, but I have to ask: Do most animals make it to safety? (BTW, great pics, especially the elephants!)

I hope as well that the Birminghams have another year in them to maintain their territory for the sake of the cubbies.

Has the Mashaba Female shown any signs of being pregnant or birthing another litter? Really hoping she manages to raise at least one more cub to independence! Also wondering where the Ntsevu female sub-adults might establish themselves. Will be interesting to see where they end up!

You’ve some fantastic images here, especially the lions. The Birmingham males, although not looking as handsome as they once were, are still a formidable unit. It certainly seems the Othawa male ventured too far into their territory and met his fate…. and then elephants mating, that is an amazing sight to witness. Thanks for another interesting week in pictures!

Thanks for the great photos Jamo. If memory serves me correctly, I believe that the Ndzanzeni had an injury to her hind quarter when she was raising the Tortoise Pan male.

Hi Al, to be honest I think the times she HASN’T been injured are less than the times she has…

Sad to hear that Ndzanzeni is still limping…no better than 3 weeks ago?

Great images this week James! We were amazed at the two beautiful shots of the controlled burn – the sunset one is incredible! We are always happy to see that our Mashaba is doing well!!

Very glad to see Mashaba doing so well! Any sign of cubbies for her?

It is amazing that she is well and healthy. We were hoping to see her being pregnant or with a milk pouch but no luck as of yet. We will keep a close eye on her over the next few weeks and let everyone know if there is any signs.

Fabulous photos James, certainly a very unique one of the Bull elephant ! When you burn an area I would imagine it’s well scouted before hand for hidden cubs etc ? Rather worrying when a breeze picks up I’m sure, having witnessed some awful fires along the kwazulu coast in the past, I fear for the wild life. Stunning shot at the end with the elephants drinking in that winter light. Too right the winter is such a perfect time to be in the bush 🙏🏻💕

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