Embarking on a mission to find a story on the Nhlanguleni Female, who we have not featured in a while, our first port of call is to check a den where she was seen most recently with her cubs. Coincidently a mere 100m or so from a previous den.
As we arrive just before sunset we get a great view of her lying on a boulder lit up by a faint orange hue from the first light. Hearing the cubs playing in the grass just beyond her we hope that they come to join her on the boulder. Sadly this was not the case instead she descends to join them on the ground.
After a while, we get a better view and watch as the cubs join her in the grass and begin to nurse. With the sun now up and things beginning to warm up we expect not too much more to happen, however, we were wrong as she spots a single impala in the distance and begins to stalk.
Her presence is given away by squirrels in the trees overhead, the impala surprisingly does not flee. She does her best to get into the perfect position.
Enjoy this Virtual Safari…
Born to the Tutlwa female in early-mid 2011, the Nhlanguleni female spent her formative months (and years) in and around the Sand River.
To view the YouTube link, click here.
Fabulous. Thank you Sean.
Thank you so much, Suzanne.
Brilliant video Sean! My favorite part of the clip was first one cub peering at “you” across mum’s body, then its sibling, and finally the sibling disappearing and the brave one moving away, but checking back to make sure all was well. It’s so much fun to see these little ones interact with Nhlanguleni. Certainly this is a magical time for guides and guests to view these beautiful cubs.
It is so fun to watch these little cubs grow and develop into young leopards. It really is an amazing time to be here and we have been spoilt with the sightings.
Hi, she looks very stockily built, a strong mum..
The first cub is a male isn’t it? He looks bolder than the other. They are adorable! It’s a true leopard paradise!
The mother is a thickset female, and doing very well as a mother so far. If I am not mistaken there is one male cub and one female cub. The male is indeed slightly bigger and a little braver.
These tiny cubs are extra cute!
Thanks once more for this great weekly video.
Something to look forward too during the whole week.
Thank you so much, Christa. I am so glad that you look forward to it every week.
That was so awesome to see the Nhlanguleni female and her two tiny cubs. She is an impressive mom and those two fury cubs are gorgeous.
Thank you so much, Valmai. The Nhlanguleni Female has done so well as a mother and I do agree that those cubs are so cute.
It was great to see the Nhanguleni Female and her two cubs. They both appear to thriving. Sean, you’ve probably answered this question before but can you tell me how the leopards are named? Will the cubs, if they survive to adulthood, be given names or will they be referred to as the offspring of the Nhanguleni Female?
It is indeed great to see that the cubs are thriving.
So we name the cubs once we deem them to be independent from their mother, so normally around the age of 18 months to two years. The name is decided through discussions amongst the ranger and tracker teams as to what is an appropriate name for each individual. The name normally has reference to a characteristic of the leopard, a prominent feature in the area where they were born or spent a lot of time as a young leopard, or a road name through that area.
As I am sure you have worked out the names are not necessarily pet names at all but rather for our own reference sake in terms of tracking the individuals and their lineages as well as their movements.
wow those babies!!!!
They are really cute, aren’t they?