Involved Leopards

3:4 Female

3:4 Female

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Mashaba 3:3 Female

Mashaba 3:3 Female

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Barry Bath

Contributor

Barry grew up in Johannesburg and knew from a young age that he had a true love for the African bush yet it was only after spending several years in the corporate world in Europe, followed by a two year sabbatical of traveling ...

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16 Comments

on Where is the Mashaba Female Keeping Her Cubs?

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Christa Blessing
Master Tracker

Dear Barry and Tshepo, I keep my fingers crossed that you will find the cubs soon, wondering what they look like now that they are a couple of months older.
Wow, Londolozi is at the moment literally teeming of leopard cubs. Really great!

Barry Bath
Contributor

Hi Christa, thank you we hope to find them soon too! There certainly are a lot of leopard cubs around at the moment.

William Paynter
Master Tracker

Fascinating, keep up the search. I am sure you will find success. Can’t wait for the pictures. Thanks Barry.

Barry Bath
Contributor

Thanks William!

Denise Vouri
Guest contributor

Mashaba is truly living up to the leopard’s “characteristics” – elusive and secretive. Perhaps she is being extra careful with these two cubs, having lost her last litters to ???? As you all tell your guests, patience and tracking skills go hand in hand, so when the stars align, or whatever, all will be revealed. Let’s just hope it will be a great sighting, with her family intact!

Barry Bath
Contributor

Hi Denise, she has definitely been elusive and secretive. I hope she does manage to get these cubs to independence. It will be a tremendous feat at her age.

Valmai Vorster
Master Tracker

Hi Barry the Mashaba female is my favorite leopard and know that she has 2 cubs makes it even more special. I really do hope you Rangers and Trackers will find her soon so that we, the readers of your emails can see the cubs. I remember seeing that footage of the python that ate that leopard cub, very heartbreaking at that moment. I can just imagine how J.V. and Elmon felt when they discovered the python had eaten the leopard cub. It is due to those two men, that we today can see the leopards inhabitants and cubs. Thanks so much J.V. and Elmon and to all the Rangers and Trackers at Londolozi for sharing these beautiful stories, foto’s and video’s of the leopards and other wild life.

Barry Bath
Contributor

Hi Valmai, she has already left a great legacy with her two existing independent daughters and fingers crossed she is able to raise these two as well. JV and Elmon have also certainly created a legacy of well-habituated leopards that we are lucky to see and spend time with here.

Francesca Doria
Master Tracker

Hi Barry, you must read my mind as I was wondering about the Mashaba female and her cubs! I am so thrilled about them, I remember well the documentary by John Varty about that legendary leopard and the phyton. It has been one of the most touching and intimate documentary about an animal I’ve ever seen. I wish this old lady good luck and keep my fingers crossed for her and her babies!

Barry Bath
Contributor

Hi Francesca, she was definitely a legendary leopard and it was indeed a tragic story but one that reveals to us the harshness of the wild.

I know that in Sabi Sabi they saw her following the Nweti male some months ago

Barry Bath
Contributor

Hi Gabriele, we have had reports from our neighbours south of our boundary that she has crossed into their reserve a few times over the past few months. Her territory is forever shifting.

Lisa Antell
Master Tracker

I hope that Mashaba is keeping her cubbies safe and secure in order to maximize their chances of success…..she deserves to have one litter of babies survive and thrive!

Barry Bath
Contributor

Hi Lisa, it’ll be a great story to have her raise a third litter to independence…fingers crossed she does!

Lisa Antell
Master Tracker

Looking at the leopard’s territory map…..does anyone know where Finfoot is? Has she been seen? and any possibility that Xinzele’s new cubs could be Hosana’s?

Barry Bath
Contributor

Hi Lisa, the last report we had of the Finfoot Female was that she was seen close to the Kruger gate in the Kruger Park…some distance away from where she was raised. There is a possibility that the Xinzele Female had mated with the late Hosana Male as their territories were quite close.

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