As old as time itself has been the constant ebb and flows of territories among the Leopards of Londolozi. With this in mind we still catch ourselves being surprised with how drastic and rapid some of these shifts in the male territories can be. Seeing leopards in areas where we haven’t seen them before, and it really is providing some interesting sightings.
The Senegal Bush male stares at an approaching hyena.
Initially seen as a young male in 2016, this leopard only properly established territory on Londolozi in mid-2019
Leopard dynamics are constantly changing on Londolozi. Currently, we are witnessing this firsthand now with the Senegal Bush Male. Originally territorial over the southeastern parts of Londolozi, he has begun shifting further northwest towards the Sand River due to the incessant pressures from the Maxim’s Male. Male leopards are constantly searching and attempting to expand their territory.
In essence the larger the territory, the greater chance of them covering more females who they will hope to mate with and sire cubs. Although it may seem as though the Senegal Bush Male has lost ground by moving away from the Maxim’s Male, this is not necessarily a loss for him. As he loses ground to the east, he gains ground to the north and west as he expands into a portion of the Flat Rock Male’s territory. An area that has many different females for him to mate with and sire as many cubs as possible.
With the presence of the Maxims Male, we have noticed that Senegal Bush Male is pushing more north and west.
Fairly skittish male that is presumed to have come from the Kruger National Park.
The Flat Rock Male who initially happened upon the territory around the Londolozi camp after the demise of the Robson’s Male, has since shifted further north to claim the late Anderson Male’s territory. Now with such a large territory, the Flat Rock Male does not pass through the areas near to camp as frequently as he used to, leaving the prime territory somewhat vacant for the Senegal Bush Male to move in and occupy. With the shifts north by the Senegal Bush Male, many rangers have been speculating as to when will he eventually cross the Sand River and be seen in the north.
While out on a morning game drive, we decided to go in search of a leopard. Finding fresh tracks of a male leopard, spurred our spirits along. Based on the area in which we first found the tracks and the direction they were going, we quickly assumed that they must be from the Senegal Bush Male while he was on a territorial patrol. This means that even though the tracks look fresh the leopard could have already put a fair amount of distance between these tracks and himself, due to the steady pace he was likely walking at.
Not long into our mission and the tracks now heading north towards the Sand River some way west of the Londolozi camps, Tracker Dorence turned to me and said,
“Pat, I think this leopard might cross the river.”
The Senegal Bush Male on a morning territorial patrol.
The guests could see the excitement in our eyes and that energy permeated everyone in the vehicle as we started picking up the pace to make sure we got him before reaching the river. There is something about the union of animals and water that we as humans find fascinating. Whether it be animals having a drink, moving around water, playing within the water or in this case our hopes were so high to witness a leopard crossing the river.
Instead of jumping across the water channel, the Flat Rock Male wades through the water. The excitement that a sighting like this brings is palpable. The chances are so slim of seeing this that we did not want to get our hopes up just yet.
Although a rather tall order in this particular case as the majority of the river frontage near to us is not accessible with a vehicle.
Shortly after, Ranger Tayla Brown who had joined in on the search and had looped up ahead helping cover more ground managed to find the Senegal Bush Male and promptly let us know that he was approaching the river.
With the river beyond the Senegal Bush Male, his general movements were heading straight towards it. We could not help but get our hopes up.
Thankfully we were near one of the crossing points, known as Taylor’s Crossing, which is characterised by an abundance of exposed bedrock. Our best bet was to wait in the actual crossing itself as the rock banks make any offroading near the river’s edge in the area extremely tricky.
The anticipation throughout both vehicles could be felt. He could reach the river and decide to not cross, or turn and head away from where we were waiting, or even cross somewhere out of sight for us.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity he popped out and started towards the river. With our vehicle perfectly positioned we had a great view of him, should he decide to cross the river. After a while of contemplating, he took his first step toward the water. Our prayers had been answered. Before we knew it, he took the leap trying his best to avoid the dreaded waters that were below him. Landing on the other side of the channel, not so gracefully I might add, he slinked off into the tickets and that was that.
It was all over in a flash. What felt like an eternity of a build-up was over before we knew it but what we had all just witnessed was something to behold and a moment in time I will remember forever. As mentioned above, the ever-shifting territories make the leopard dynamics and viewing very interesting. Let’s hope that the Senegal Bush Male’s never-ending quest for more territory continues to deliver sightings like this.
A dominant male leopard over the majority of the north. He originally took over the 4:4 Male's territory when he died.
Initially seen as a young male in 2016, this leopard only properly established territory on Londolozi in mid-2019
Fairly skittish male that is presumed to have come from the Kruger National Park.
The photos are worth the wait , lets hope guests had their cameras ready
Is there only one make leopard living in each of these coloured areas on your map. If yes, you don’t seem to have many leopards at all a lot less than I thought
Yes, each colour represents a different male leopard. Male leopards have a larger territory than females. Both male and female territories will overlap with there being a lot higher densities of female leopards. The population of leopards at Londolozi is one of the highest in the world.
Great action shots, Patrick!
Patrick, thank you for the update on the male leopards of Londolozi. It will be fascinating yo continue to observe the shifting territories of the several male leopards. Beautiful picture of the Senegal Bush Male crossing to sand river.
Patrick it certainly is interesting to see how the male leopards shift their territory. Each leopard has to move because others are intruding their territory. Senegal bush male is my favorite male leopard and he is a stunning cat. Beautiful foto’s of that river crossing and leaves us thinking what is next with the Senegal bush male.
Okay……wonderful sighting for sure! But boy does it open the questions…….will Kunyuma/Senegal Bush male continue pushing north and west into Hosana’s vacant territory? 🙁 Will he push Misava further north? Will Misava somehow be able to finally find his place? Will SB push Flat Rock into the Othawa property? Will something else happen entirely? Hoping for the best…..
A triplet of gorgeous male leopards and stunning pictures! I wonder if there is any other place on earth so dedicated to leopard conservation, I guess there isn’t…
What an exciting sighting! That’s what makes safari so addictive: There is always something new and even more spectacular to see and watch. Animals are just so fascinating! I envy you guides and rangers that you can enjoy these exciting moments and hours kind of every day of your life.
And – nearly forgotten- the photos are great!
Patrick, who is the most powerful of the Leopards in Londolozi? Are they considered “over the hill” if aged 9 years or more and does this influence their condition considerably? Many thanks. Enjoying the blogs!
That was an amazing sighting Patrick and your leopard’s leaping photos reminded me of the ones Guy shot a year or two ago. Those opportunities don’t come along often and so they’re even more exciting. It’s interesting that Tortoise Pan is up in the north whilst his father is in the very south. It will be interesting to see where the Ximungwe young male will end up considering he’s well on his way to independence, although he’s still dependent on his mom for big kills. Terrific images of the big guys!
Well done Patrick, fabulous shots – what a special sighting for you and your lucky guests!
Serendipity and skill–the best combination. Great job Patrick and Tayla!
Senegal Bush Male has certainly been present in many sections of the property.