Since Matt Rochford shared the last update on the Three Rivers Female and her cub, these two leopards have continued to provide some absolutely incredible sightings on Londolozi. It has been incredible to watch the growth of the young male, particularly over the last 6 months as he surpasses his mother in size.
On a recent game drive, tracker Equalizer and I decided to focus our afternoon game drive around the Three Rivers Duo, as they had been found with a kill during the morning’s drive and were likely to still be around the same area in the afternoon. Without wasting any time, we left camp straight towards where they were left earlier that morning. With the heat of summer well upon us, there was a strong possibility that the two leopards would still be resting in the shade close by to where the kill had been hoisted – but we decided to take the chance hoping we’d catch one of them in action having a turn to feed.
To our surprise (considering it was still an incredibly hot afternoon and the tree where the impala had been hoisted provided little shade itself), we arrived to find the Three Rivers Young Male in the tree feeding on the head of a young male impala!
What unfolded over the next two and a half hours was more than we could have wished for, and an afternoon I will not forget.
I’ll let the images below share how the rest of our afternoon played out…
The scene we arrived at. The Three Rivers Young Male in a marula tree feeding on a young ram impala. We managed to position the vehicle to have a clear view. As you can see by the way his jaw is angled, leopards will use their carnassial teeth to slice through meat and cut tough sinews.
Somewhat skittish after becoming independent, he is an impressive young male with a rich golden coat.
A close-up of the Three Rivers Female looking up towards us as she was resting in the shade near our vehicle.
Forced into early independence at 11 months. Despite her small size, she's proven resilient, currently raising a cub in SE Londolozi.
While resting in the shade, we watched her feed on fallen pieces of meat as her cub continued to feed in the marula tree above her. Here she is feeding on the top of the skull around the horns.
As an interlude, she flexes and opens her jaw trying to swallow a tough piece of meat.
The moment we had been waiting for! After a good hour or so of non-stop feeding and reshuffling around the marula tree trying to get comfortable, we watched as he descended in the afternoon light.
While we waited with the Three Rivers Young Male hoping he would eventually descend from the tree, his mother disappeared into a nearby drainage line. After some time apart, we watched the Three Rivers Female return with the sun setting behind her.
Although he is already bigger than his mother and looks stronger every time we get to see him, his cub-like demeanour is very much still there: curious and restless! I love the focus on his facial features in this photograph.
Reunited. The two leopards affectionately and playfully rolled around upon greeting each other. Shortly thereafter the Three Rivers Female began grooming her cub. This sort of interaction between these two leopards is only going to be witnessed fewer and farther apart as he continues to develop and approach independence.
Before we thought the afternoon could get any better, the Three Rivers Female, climbed a nearby fallen marula tree.
Probably my favourite photograph from the afternoon. The way she gracefully positioned herself on a branch made me think that she may have used this tree for a rest before…
As our vehicle was discussing how lucky we had been to have shared over two hours with these two leopards, the Three Rivers Young Male joined his mother in the tree!
The young male’s restlessness was apparent and he was not up in the tree for long before climbing down to rather settle in the grass and digest his latest feed.
We decided that that was our cue to bid these two farewell. We stopped for a sundowner drink shortly thereafter with the last of the afternoon light to cheers to a memorable afternoon!
Sharing so much time with these two animals completely relaxed with our presence was a reminder of how immensely lucky we are here at Londolozi to get to observe the life of such secretive animals!
What an amazing afternoon you had Kate and your images are fabulous! You certainly were able to share an incredible sighting of the Three Rivers female and her young juvenile with your guests, to the point that both sundowner time and dinner recounted the experience in fine detail and excitement! That is every ranger’s and guest’s dream time on a drive, so thank you for sharing this c
Thanks Denise! Absolutely – it was a ‘perfect’ afternoon to be able to spend almost the entire afternoon drive with these two animals.
Great narrative and accompanying images to re-create a special afternoon,
Thanks very much Vin!
Amazing pictures
Thank you Sandra!
Wonderful viewing of the Three Rivers leopards. Thank you Kate, for sharing the afternoon experience with wonderful pictures.
Thanks very much William.
They are both gorgeous animals, she has an exquisite beauty and the picture resting on the tree branch is really a great shot, she seems to smile. No wonder leopards survive among brute power of hyena, lions and wild dogs, they are the brainers among large predators, don’t need to share anything but rare sweet times with their offsprings. Pure freedom and wilderness at their best
Thanks Francesca. I agree – both of these leopards are particularly beautiful and it is so special to witness these interactions whilst the young male cub is not yet fully independent!
Oh wow amazing pictures and what an afternoon you had – incredible! I’ve saved some of those in my favourites – well done !
Thanks very much Kara! It really was a special afternoon.
So cool, and your images are brilliant Kate!
Thank you very much, Paul!
What a fabulous afternoon, Kate! Beautiful images of both leopards and a narrative that put me in your vehicle! Ok, I’m jealous!!
What a great afternoon for you and your guests. Congratulation on the beautiful pictures.
Thank you very much Christa!
Kate! What an incredible afternoon you had with Equalizer!! Your photos are amazing!!! And the story telling wonderful!!!
Thank you Karen! It was a truly awesome afternoon and Equalizer and I were so excited with how the sighting unfolded.
Kate you certainly are so lucky to be able to see these wonderful leopards in their environment. The mother is a beautiful leopardess and the cub is so gorgeous, that look on his face spells out mischief. Thank you for sharing you foto’s with us, they are stunning foto’s.
Thank you Valmai – these two leopards in particular are beautiful!
Wonderful images Kate especially the one of her looking straight at you in the tree. I’ll forgive you for using a Canon !!! Your images are spectacular what a sighting and what light!!!
Thank you Howard! I am borrowing a canon at the moment as I continue to do my research on which camera to invest in (and I am loving it hehe).
I cannot imagine a more pleasant afternoon than one with 2 gorgeous cats interacting and feeding! Leopards are such amazing creatures!
Thank you Lisa – it was truly a spectacular afternoon that was worthy of sharing!
Beautiful photos Kate, what a great afternoon you had. We were lucky enough to spend time with these 2 when we came in February, and the cub was in a very playful mood! He was about 6 months old then, the same age as his mother was when I saw her with her mother Xidulu back in October 2016.
Thank you so much Suzanne. Amazing – so lucky of you to have spent time with them earlier this year. This young male is growing so fast and into an incredible male leopard so watching his growth is something special!