The Senegal Bush Male leopard has provided not only consistent but phenomenal viewing over the previous few months for our guests at Londolozi. Now controlling the central parts of Londolozi as the dominant territorial male we are beginning to learn his patrol routes, helping us to find him during our game drives.
The intense pose of a male leopard as the textured trees in the background create the perfect contrast for a black and white photo.
Initially seen as a young male in 2016, this leopard only properly established territory on Londolozi in mid-2019
He is seldom seen making a kill of his own, which I am sure he does from time to time. We are not entirely convinced of this as he has often been seen stealing kills from females within his territory.
The Senegal Bush male leopard reacted quickly to a running scrub hare, almost rolling into our vehicle as he tumbled taking this hare down. An amazing sighting seeing him catch, carry and feed on his kill.
We were fortunate to be there to witness one of these episodes and managed to catch it on film. But first, let me give a little bit of the back story.
Londolozi's oldest territorial female. Distinguished by her nose spot, this Sunsetbend matriarch's legacy lives on through her daughters.
The Mashaba Female Leopard had recently made an impala kill. After feeding on it for a while she managed to hoist it into a tree, keeping it safe from hyenas. We set off from camp with our plans of going down to see if she was still there, expecting to see her finishing off the remains of her kill.
Up in a tree finishing off the remains of an impala carcass as the early morning golden light breaks through the canopy of the tree.
As we drove in, I quickly noticed that it wasn’t a female in the tree but rather a big male – the Senegal Bush Male, having stolen another kill. After watching him feed for a while with the idea that the Mashaba Female would probably not be too far away. Reason being that even though her kill had been stolen by a larger male who, she would not be able to chase off the kill, females usually hang around the area and hope to feed on a portion of the kill when the male isn’t.
Sometimes this works out, while other times the male is too protective and does not let the female anywhere near the carcass.
A leopard that, over the past few months, has provided great game viewing. Here the Senegal bush Mae snarls aggressively at a female leopard he spotted in the distance.
All of a sudden we heard the frantic commotion of impalas alarm calling not too far away. The hyena that was patiently waiting under the Senegal Bush Male, lifted its head and took off running in the direction of the impala. We followed suit, except driving not running.
Ranger Nick Sims having the same idea got there before we did and found the Mashaba Female seconds after she had just killed another impala. Too heavy for her to hoist into a nearby tree the barrelling hyenas ran in and stole the kill from her before she knew it. Having had two kills stolen from her in one morning.
As the hyenas began to feed, out of the corner of my eye I saw the Senegal Bush Male arrive on the scene.
It truly was a morning where we did not know what to expect next. The turn of events was exhilarating. As a guide, our normal narrative to guests is that leopards are wary of hyenas and will avoid confrontation at all costs. This sighting just clearly blew that narrative out of the water. I guess it comes down to the size and confidence of the Senegal Bush Male, combined with him arriving on the scene and catching the hyenas by surprise. This caused them to flee, allowing him the split second to grab the carcass, holding it in his mouth alone, knowing he has the strength and agility to drag it into the tree before the hyenas were able to realise what was going on.
One on one a large male leopard will probably win over a hyena, however, the reason for our narrative is that with leopards being solitary, they cannot afford to risk injury as they have nobody else to rely on and their chances of survival are drastically reduced if they get injured. The Senegal Bush Male defies this logic.
The Senegal Bush male stares at an approaching hyena. After having robbed the Nhlanguleni Female of her impala kill. Here he descended the tree to rest in the shade, stopping halfway down to stare.
It was such an incredible set of events. Once the excitement had died down I took a moment to reflect on these magnificent creatures – such skill, speed, and sheer strength. Not to take anything away from the Mashaba Female, who in her own right is an incredibly powerful animal, but the size difference and aggressive confident nature of the Senegal Bush Male made the difference in this situation.
Recently this video has got a lot of traction and rightfully so, it was an insane sighting. Expecting one thing, arriving to find another, and then it all escalating to something far beyond what we bargained for.
That male comes from one of the best lines of Djuma, Karula! He had the best mom. Both him and his brother Quarantine Male, grew to be leopards to be reckoned with!
Oh, that is good to know! Karula is in docus on TV, right?
Never a dull moment. Amazing video though. 😉
An amazing piece of video, Dean! The Senegal Bush male seems a real bully these days, though his technique is apparently working. Not a great way to impress the ladies, though!
Saw the Senegal Bush male several times during our recent visit, including a similar one to your experience when he stole a kill from a female.
Fantastic video!!! Unbelievable sighting! Well done!
Hi Dean. The strength and the lightning speed is incredible to behold! Wow. To get this on screen is really wonderful! We just feel so bad for the poor Mashaba female though! Wendy and Neil M
WOW!…………. 🙂
Senegal Bush/Kunyuma earned his well deserved nick name Snarly Face, while he was a cub.. Thank you for sharing this sighting of Karula & Mvula’s son. Has been a real pleasure watching him through out his life so far.
On my towel there’s the picture of a leopard staring at me… I have always had a deep connection with these animals. And, as I’m on the losers side I am on the Mashaba female always. But my oh my the Senegal Bush male is a King! And he acts consequently… Great video and pictures
What a truly magnificent animal. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing video. Can’t wait to see this gorgeous male leopard in person.
He is one big tough leopard! Great photos and video.
Fantastic sighting! It just goes to show that as humans we think we know how these animals will behave, but they have free will just like the rest of us. I would love to have known the SBM’s exact thought process as he quickly evaluated that situation.
Thank you Dean for this magnificent video, it is stunning to see the Senegal bush male firstly eating Mashaba females kill and then in the same breathe coming down that tree and stealing the impala kill from the hyenas which beautiful Mashaba also caught. I feel sorry for her because she works hard to catch the impala, then just to be stolen from my magnificent Senegal bush. Both of them are my favorites.
What a show the Senegal Bush male put on and what an amazing turn of events ! He certainly is a magnificent leopard and seems to know it. Still if he can steal from hyena then it’s about time he left the ladies alone to enjoy their own kills ! Wonderful Dean 💓🙏
Kunyuma is an awesome cat! We saw him steal Plaque Rock’s kill in early August 2019 (before she was named)…..he doesn’t wait for anyone to say NO before he charges in!
Great video Dean! I wonder if the Mashaba female went back to her first kill?
Animals don’t love reading books, especially Leopards 😉 Fantastic!
Thanks for an amazing recap Dean! So amazing how established he has become since he pushed in! Do you think he has fathered any cubs yet?
WOW!!! What an exciting. morning! Thankyou! Victoria
Dean, the Senegal Bush male is truly a beast and almost travels at bullet speed, even with an Impala in his mouth. No wonder he’s so large, always stealing from the females. They work so hard-it doesn’t seem fair. So glad a video was captured!!
An exciting drive Dean. Lots of action for everyone. Loved the short video – he sure can run. Thanks for sharing with us – enjoyed it.