As most of you are aware, leopard viewing at Londolozi is quite remarkable. John Varty and Elmon Mhlongo’s hard work, time and dedication in the ’70s with the habituation of the Mother leopard has played a huge role in the leopards we view here today. Following their lead, trackers and rangers have utilized the knowledge passed down by these men and still to this day incorporate their approach towards leopards.
A photo of John Varty and Elmon Mhlongo tracking the original ‘Mother Leopard’ – circa 1980’s (Londolozi Archives)
One leopard, in particular, has really struck a chord with me over the past couple of months and that is the Nkoveni Female.
The Mashaba Female herself hasn’t had the best success with raising cubs to independence but two of her offspring, the Nkoveni Female and Ximungwe Female have been more successful in raising cubs.
Understanding the Nkoveni Female
The Mashaba Female gave birth to a litter of two cubs in (2012), one of which was only viewed briefly when a few days old and then never seen again. The second cub grew up to be the very well known and loved Nkoveni Female. She occupies a beautiful territory on Londolozi that encompasses large open marula crests and then extends down towards the Sand River to the east of our camps. Her relaxed demeaner and the fact that she is raising two playful and adventurous female cubs combined with the beautiful terrain in which we often find her makes her a very attractive leopard to search for. My good friend and tracker Dorence and I were driving a guest recently who quite liked the idea of focussing a few drives around searching for any signs of this mother and her cubs, as the chances of great photographic sightings were pretty high if we were able to find them.
An image that guests everybody excited, the sign of fresh leopard tracks crossing the Sand River.
This was an exciting prospect, as I had never focussed on looking for the same animal for two weeks straight. By attempting to look for her everyday this meant we were afforded the opportunity to fully imbue ourselves into this animal’s life and understand her movements in a way we have never before.
For the first couple drives we searched far and wide, unfortunately to no avail. This changed one afternoon when we set out for drive with a different target in mind before we got an update that she had crossed onto our side with her two cubs! The whole vehicle agreed that we would head straight into the area where we believe she would have crossed. Approaching the area, we all sat in anticipation with what was about to happen and then boom, there she was with her two beautiful cubs in a fallen over marula. Suddenly we all knew why we had spent countless hours looking for this female.
Appreciating the Nkoveni Female.
It couldn’t have been a more perfect afternoon. Firstly, there was a slight drizzle throughout the afternoon, cooling things down and causing the cubs to be in the most playful mood I had ever seen. Following them the whole afternoon as they played constantly around the marula crests, it couldn’t have been a better reward for our efforts. Once that magical afternoon had finished, it hit us that even if we didn’t get lucky as we had just been, we still had to try every drive to find this female and her wonderful two cubs, for the odd chance that we would be rewarded again.
The Nkoveni Female and her youngster watch on as the second cub was hurtling its way towards them. These open clearings serve for great leopard viewing.
After many more amazing encounters with these three amazing leopards I have started to appreciate her as a mother and the immense effort it takes in raising one cub, let alone two. The success rate of leopard cubs reaching independence is very low and she has almost raised two to independence, an amazing feat.
We are all so fortunate to view these animals on a daily basis and being given the opportunity to work with one of my good friends in understanding a specific leopard made me quite emotional.
A mother leopard and her two very playful cubs scan the horizon as they stare at a breeding herd and rhinos in the distance.
I’ll look back on those two weeks in my life very fondly, as we were allowed to get to know a leopard like I have never before.
Stunning photographs! It is so stunning to see how she has looked after them over time and how the relationship grows and changes.
Great pictures and wonderful story about the two cubs and their mother, thanks Patrick. The Nkoveni female is a remarkable mother leopard. Keep us posted on the cubs progress to adult status. Hope they both survive to find territories of their own.
Great story, Patrick! Glad to see that all 3 are doing so well!
Fantastic opportunity for you and your guests. As a frequent visitor, we have had the good fortune of deciding to follow one particular creature for multiple days. Last summer we spent 8 days observing the movements and antics of the wild dog pups and learned so much about their interrelationships and development.
This is one of the most rewarding sight and experiences I’d look forward to have. Simply breath-taking and emotional, very inspiring. I watched the documentary on the Mother Leopard, lovely to see pictures here!
A wonderful experience for your guests.
The photos of this mother and her cubs are just great!
What a fantastic opportunity for you and your guests to spend time with Nkoveni and her cubs. First of all, to have raised 2 cubs to this age is a testament to her success as a mother, denning them safely in the early weeks and then finding enough food to nourish all of them. I hope you have many more sightings of them Patrick, to keep adding to your memorable experiences.
Wonderful photos and an amazing experience to spent time with 3 leopards! That is one of my favorite ways to spend drive times while at Londolozi!
Some really stunning photos in this post! And wonderful to see all three of these magnificent leopards together. 🙏🏻
Hi Patrick, it’s a privilege to see these 3 leopards so in the open. She is a fantastic mother and I hope she can keep them safe until they go their own way. Her mother the Mashaba female is also a wonderful leopard and she is not afraid of the vehicles.
Brilliant post Patrick! What an amazing and fortuitous opportunity to follow the courageous and highly competent mother that is the Nkoveni female leopard!!!
How wonderful for you to have Dorence with you to track your favorite leopard! The Nkoveni mother has certainly done a stirling job so far of raising her two cubs who also seem to carry her happy go lucky attitude. I wish them so much luck and longitivty to comeAnd that you are there to enjoy it all too🙏🏻❤️. By the way Patrick what does Nkoveni mean, I would be interested to know .
Such wonderful photos! I love the one with Nkoveni using her cub as a pillow! There is not much more magical than 3 leopards in a sighting in a dead tree and interacting and alert. So special anytime, anywhere!