Our Virtual Safari this week coincidentally finds itself centred around an iconic place on Londolozi, Plaque Rock. We begin with a lucky find of the Ntsevu mothers and the last remaining Birmingham offspring resting on the boulders. With the western horizon behind them, we get stunning views from beneath them as the sun breaks through some dramatic clouds casting some golden light. Unfortunately, this sighting was the last time we saw all three Birmingham cubs together in late June.
We hear over the radio that the Flat Rock Male and Piccadilly Female had been found mating near to Marhtly pools and desperately get there in the hopes that they will end up mating on the boulders for us. A minute or two before I manage to get into the sighting the leopards are chased into tree by a clan of hyenas. We sit and wait for more than two hours in the hope that they will eventually come down out of the trees and mate on the rocks beneath, only to be let down.
As I leave, Managing Director Stoff Kane-Berman, replaces me and within five minutes the leopards descend and begin to mate, ON THE BOULDERS! I then make it my mission to find the leopards over the next few days and eventually track them into the Sand River with Dan and Freddy.
Enjoy this Virtual Safari…
This female is most often encountered near the Sand River to the east of the Londolozi camps.
A dominant male leopard over the majority of the north. He originally took over the 4:4 Male's territory when he died.
To view the YouTube link, click here.
Sean, that was extremely unfair of the leopards to wait till you’d just left before mating on the boulders! – but great that Stoff was able to film it.
Am I right in thinking the Piccadilly female is the older half-sister of the 3 Rivers female? – and didn’t she bring 1 cub to independence not long ago?
It was rather unfair, wasn’t it? But I guess that is how the bush works and I am grateful that Stoff was there to video it for me. Yes, the Piccadilly Female and the Three Rivers Female are both daughters of the Xidulu Female. The Piccadilly Young Female is now independent and we will most likely be giving her a name shortly.
Good demonstration of persistence and the oustanding skills of Freddie.
Freddie has a gift when it comes to tracking.
Oh Sean the video footage of the two leopards mating was awesome and also to hear them while mating. How wonderful and exciting that was for you and Freddy to find them on foot and be able to see and hear them so closely. Wonderful to see that last 3 sub adult cubs from the Birmingham lions. The lionesses looked after them superbly and now that lineage can go forth.
Thank you so much, Valmai. It was very exciting to find them on foot and hear them mating.
I forgot to say that it is wonderful news of the leopards mating, know we now there will be more leopard cubs. We will wait in anticipation for these cubs and remember the video of there mating sessions.
WE are very excited that there could be some more cubs on Londolozi.
What an amazing virtual safari today! It was terrific to see the Ntsevu lionesses with their three cubs but I did read that since this was filmed, one had disappeared, presumed dead. So now with two left to protect, I do hope these two females will be able to care for them long enough so that they can find a safer place to roam and settle.
And then you topped off this week’s video with the mating of the Flat Rock male and Piccadilly female, causing me to believe that her daughter is now totally independent. In watching Stoff’s footage, it was truly obvious that the female was certainly the aggressor in the mating ritual. Having watched other pairs mate, it was the male that was more the aggressive one, but is it possible that towards the end of the mating, the roles so reverse – females tire and the male pushes for more contact? At any rate, I’m glad Stoff was able to capture them on the rocks, although disappointing for you.
I do hope that these females are able to raise the cubs successfully.
The Piccadilly Young Female is now independent and we will hopefully be giving her a name soon.
Thanks for the great videos of the lions and the acting of the leopards.
At least somebody was able to watch that mating. Wasn’t is quite dangerous to get into that thick bush to find the leopards? Really brave of you.
At least someone was able to watch them mate. When we were tracking, we moved very slowly and would stop often to listen.
Amazing footage. So very sad that one of the cubs is missing. Do you know if it was the female or one of the males?
Thank you so much, Johanna. I think the remaining two cubs are both female.
So glad to see the Birmingham last cubs and looking forward to seeing them again, hopefully…. leopard mating is a fascinating play of agility and caution. As females have a short orstrus and get not easily pregnant, furthermore both partners spend a lot of energy, I think hyenas are becoming a bit of a problem generally speaking in Africa, because they are too many in comparison to other predators. Super video!!
It was good to see the Birmingham offspring again. It is a challenge for the female felines to fall pregnant, hence the strategy of multiple copulations over a short period of time. There are indeed a lot of hyenas around.
All of this is super cool Sean!