While recently spending an afternoon with guests at a sighting of the Mashaba Female leopard, our conversation led to the leopards past and present seen on Londolozi. This led to a discussion on the Mashaba’s leopards two daughters and the survival rate of a leopard cub.
Sadly, the survival rate of leopard cubs is only around 25% in their first year, however, once they make it to a year old, that figure increases to a survival rate of approximately 75%. The Mashaba Female leopard unfortunately reflects these statistics with her having given birth to an estimated 22 cubs that we are aware of, and only two of them surviving and reaching adulthood. These statistics do not however diminish the impressiveness of this female and the enjoyment we have experienced in viewing her for almost 13 years on Londolozi.
The Mashaba Female leopard catching her breath after dragging an impala kill up a Marula tree.
The Mashaba female is currently Londolozi’s best-known leopard. Her relaxed nature means she is comfortable around the vehicles.
There is hope for the lineage of the Mashaba Female leopard!
The first cub the Mashaba Female leopard raised successfully, was born in August 2012 and is known as the Nkoveni Female leopard. This female currently holds territory just south of the Sand River and to the east of the reserve, while her other cub, the Ximungwe Female leopard, who was born in 2015, holds territory more centrally and south of our camps.
The Nkoveni Female leopard having shifted her territory further east to accommodate her daughter the Plaque Rock female, is now seen less frequently. Currently raising two cubs we are slowly seeing a bit more of her as she wanders throughout her territory with the intent of keeping her cubs safe.
A gorgeous female who is found to the east of camp. Easily recognised by her 2:2 spot pattern she is often to be found in Marula trees.
The Nkoveni Female leopard’s previous litter was the Plaque Rock Female leopard who we still find frequently on the eastern portion of the Sand River where her mother spent time raising her as a cub. The Plaque Rock Female has been seen with the illusive Maxims Male leopard and although she is not quite ready to bear cubs, she is soon approaching the age of possible conception.
The Plaque Rock female leopard stares into the distance from the safety of a Weeping Boer Bean tree dappled in the morning light.
A pretty young playful female found along the river to the east of camp
Most recently, the Ximungwe Female leopard successfully raised the Ximungwe Young Male leopard to independence. He has since dispersed to the northern parts of the Sabi Sands to try and establish himself away from the Flat Rock Male leopard and Senegal Bush Male leopards’ territories. The Ximungwe Young Male leopard had not been seen for a fair while until about a month ago. He was found wandering around into the extremity of the Flat Rock Male and Senegal Bush Male leopards’ overlapping territories. One can only hope that in years to come we may see him return to the very same area that he was born on Londolozi.
The Ximungwe Young Male leopard walking down the edge of the road at the beginning of the year during the summer months with the lush green grass behind him.
An inquisitive young male that has been pushed further north by the Senegal Bush Male.
And now with the exciting news of the current cubs we are seeing (the presence of the Nkoveni Female leopard’s cubs and the Ximungwe Female’s cub) one can only hope that history will repeat itself and these litters will be raised to independence.
The Ximungwe Female leopard has become very elusive and often seen unintentionally or found when on a kill with her cub. Here she lies in the canopy of a Marula tree looking towards her cub in a tree nearby – safe from the lurking hyena which lay below.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
It has been an interesting time to note and observe how these two female leopards have changed their usual behaviour with the pressure of trying to raise their offspring to independence. The solitary nature of leopards extends into their parental responsibilities, which leads to them spending a large amount of their time stashing their cubs in safe hiding spots and wandering elusively through their territories to protect their young. For example, the Ximungwe Female leopard has been more difficult to track, as we have discovered her looping back and forth through thick drainage lines and essentially leading us around in circles.
The Ximungwe Female leopard’s current cub practicing its climbing skills as its mother watches from the nearby Marula tree. This is an important skill to master to avoid hyenas and other predators that – at this age – pose a threat to their safety.
The Nkoveni Female leopard, on the other hand, has established a somewhat ‘predictable’ route from our eastern neighbours when traversing through Londolozi. Interestingly, she now travels during the daytime when moving with her cubs to try and avoid other predators, especially leopards and lions, which would mostly move through the night.
One of the two cubs of the Nkoveni Female leopard is pictured here with its coat wet from the dew in the long grass which occurs this time of year. It’s wonderful to see the interactions between these two cubs. One can only hope both these leopard cubs make it to independence.
The Leopards of Londolozi continue to thrill and excite both staff and guests with their ever-changing dynamics which we are fortunate to observe over the years. I look forward to what the future may hold as we hope to see these young cubs grow up and watch their lives unfold.
I really do enjoying viewing leopards and those pictures you have are splendid. Kirst, my favorite is the Ximungwe Female’s picture. You captured it in the golden hour. Just stunning.
Thank you Linda! I must say the golden light during the winter months is just exceptional.
Kirst I love the Mashaba female and her two cubs which are now having their own cubs. I am amazed that Mashaba had so many cubs but that only two made it to adulthood. Just goes to show how hard it is for them to grow up. If I have it correct the female cubs leave their mother earlier to go and establish their territory, than what the male cub leaves his mother, why is that. This little cub of the Nkoveni female is so precious.
Hi Valmai,
It is quite a sad reality for the Mashaba Female. You are indeed correct that the female leopard cubs tend to leave their mother a bit earlier. I think it has to do with territory and quite simply survival. The female cubs tend to be ceded territory from their mothers and therefore they don’t have to ‘fight’ for territory. This means that they can be independent earlier and is ‘safer’ for them to do so. Male cubs will have to flee their mothers territory and embark on a nomadic phase until they are about 7 or 8 years old when they then can establish territory for themselves. The investment in raising a cub is high and they will stay in their mothers territory as long as possible until a stage when their mother comes back into oestrus and is ready to mate.
Kirst the Ximungwe female’s male cub, what is his name going to be and who gets to choose his name. It seems to me the Senegal bush male is his father.
Good fortune to have seen all 3 adults during a lengthy visit in July. The Senegal Bush Male was also very available.
Vin he is indeed and sometimes found with either the Ximungwe Female and Mashaba Female when they have made a kill. The tolerance of the Ximungwe females cub suggests he may be the father.
Thanks so much for this blog, Kirst. It’s of great interest to me, as early last year I posted a blog “my history with the Vomba female” which also went down to Plaque Rock and the young Ximungwe male (and I also followed Tutlwa’s lineage). I love being able to follow their history, all the way down to great grandcubs!
Suzanne hopefully we can add to your blog and historical story of this lineage even more.
I couldn’t believe my luck today! Female leopards tale with cubs and perfect pictures! A friend of mine asked me why don’t females stay together to raise their cubs more successfully. Actually I was eager to see two sisters trying to do this but it seems it doesn’t work…
Francesca due to their solitary nature they don’t associate with other leopards other than a potential male to mate with or their mother until they reach independence. The Nkoveni Female and Ximungwe Female are born three years a part and therefore have no connection to each other other than their mother so they view each other as ‘rival females’. A great example of their solitary nature was the story of the Finfoot female and Nkuwa female in December titled “Two Leopard Sisters Battle Over Territory” where soon after two sisters from the same litter after being a part for months after they became independent did not recognise each other as sisters anymore but rather two females competing for territory.
It’s such a pleasure to watch these females and their cubs. And of course, it’s even better to return to Londolozi and to find that one or the other of the cubs I had seen on a previous visit has made it to adulthood.
It really must be Christa and to see them at different points in their lives.
Thanks for the update on these three female leopards. It is gratifying to know that Nkoveni still has her two cubs and that Ximungwe could be on her way to raising another cub to independence. Your photo of Nkoveni’s cub is priceless!
We can only hope these two female leopards do raise their cubs successfully as they did with their previous litters. Thank you – they can be sometimes tricky to photograph with their wet fuzzy fur but sometimes you manage to get it
A really fascinating read Kirst. Certainly very special to be able to follow through on the lineage of these leopards and more importantly to have them still on Londolozi. Super thanks 🙏💕
Thanks Cally, it really is special to be able to follow these leopards through their lifetimes
Rich, Thanks for sharing the story of our favorite Leopard family! We were lucky to see Vomba and Mashaba (When she was still “Vomba Young Female”!). Mashaba’s unique patch on her nose has always been easy for us to identify (Terri says it is in the shape of the African continent in some of her images). She is by far our most photographed leopard. You may remember Terri’s image of Mashaba and her daughter in our 2019 “Safari Dreams” post with their tails touching like a heart!
We love the way you have created the lineage lines of the Londolozi Leopard families – it’s so unique and a great resource too! Thanks as always and we look forward to hopefully seeing you all soon!
Michael and Terri we hope to see you again soon! Was indeed a very special image and her patch of her nose really is unique !
Thank you so much for this Kirst! Am curious if you’ve seen any signs of the Mashaba Female herself having another litter or do you all think she will not bear another litter?
Hi Michael, we haven’t seen the Mashaba Female for quite sometime which made us start to think of the possibility of herself being pregnant again and having given birth. We don’t have any confirmation yet but will keep you updated!
A really nice spotted cat blog Kirst – thoroughly enjoyed reading the dynamics of these magnificent creatures. The bush is a harsh life and the young seem to suffer an early death. I think it is the same with lions and cheetah. The pics are fantastic. Thanks for sharing with us.
Thank you Leonie, we will see how their stories unfold.
Well, two surviving cubs out of 22 is not 25 but only 9 per cent… It’s all really sad and makes me think of the vague future of the leopard species… Still thanks for the story.
Kirill, you are correct her statistics are in fact much lower than the average amount of cubs that survive and is indeed a harsh statistic
Thanks for that wonderful story about the connections of those lepards. I saw Mashaba with 3 cubs a few years ago, and was sad, that they were all killed. Nkoveni and Ximungwe are very careful mothers and hidíng the cubs very good, so hopefully, the new cubs stay alive.
Thanks so much Jutta! We can only wait and see… Will keep you updated as their stories unfold.
The leopards of Londolozi and the Sabi Sand always continue to delight! We saw Mashaba in August 2019 looking quite pregnant and I was hoping that I would find out about new cubs soon after….now I cannot wait to see Plaque Rock and Finfoot and Nkuwa raise cubs too! (Nkuwa recently being seen mating with Hosana!)
Lisa I couldn’t agree more! Will wait and see what unfolds.