Right from the get-go, I have felt particularly fond of the Ximungwe Young Male. He was the very first leopard cub I ever saw. Not only was that first glimpse of him a moment I will never forget. Watching him grow and learn new skills under the patient guidance of his mother over the last year and a half is something quite extraordinary to have been a part of. There were moments of pure joy and entertainment as he uncoordinatedly gripped his way up a marula tree as a young cub. To clumsily falling out of bushwillow trees and finally to mastering a graceful leap up into an enormous jackelberry tree.
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Then there were the heart-wrenching moments when he narrowly escaped from a hyena as his mother came to save the day.
Or when he would drop a hard-earned hoisted kill his mother had made into the patiently waiting jaws of a hyena below. And to be honest, all of these moments have become such special memories as I was able to share the moments of anticipation and excitement with my tracker Bennet Mathonsi, the rest of the guiding and tracking team, and of course our guests.
My first sighting of the Ximungwe Young Male was on 14 May 2021. He later came out of the long grass and slowly but surely managed to climb up the marula tree where he started feeding on the duiker his mother had hoisted.
A single cub of the Ximungwe Female's second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.
At the beginning of September, I was driving guests who mentioned that they had seen the Ximungwe Young Male on their first trip to Londolozi in September 2021 and were eager to see how he had progressed since then. So we set out on their first morning drive with one goal in mind – track and find the Ximungwe Female and now nearly independent 18-month-old ‘cub’. Knowing that at the beginning of August, the Ximungwe Young Male had already outgrown his mother and she was becoming reluctant to share meals with her son, we were in for a challenge. But one we were up for!
The Ximungwe Young Male on his own on the 31st of October 2022. He was just over 6 months then. His mother already starting to leave him for longer periods, knowing he could now climb his way to safety.
Not long into our drive, we were bouncing with excitement as we found fresh tracks of what we assumed were the Ximungwe Duo. Although the tracks were going up and down the road and all over at first, we knew we were onto something. We quickly realised that this was only the beginning of what would be yet another test of patience, skill, and determination. Trackers Bennet Mathonsi, Tshepo Dzemba, and Sersant Sibuya followed the tracks carefully to make sure they hadn’t missed any signs, while us rangers, kept driving around the area in search of any other signs of them. Scanning the long grass and up in the trees hoping to spot one or both of them.
Fresh tracks!
At one point, close to two hours into the search, we all ended up at the same point with the trackers, all perplexed now as to where they could possibly be hiding. Starting to wonder if it might just be one of those days the leopards were walking circles around us and continuing with their day undetected. Only moments later did we hear Bennet give off a familiar whistle that we all knew was the good news we had been waiting for. Not even 5o meters from where we had all congregated, Bennet had found a hoisted kill!
This was brilliant news as the likelihood of the leopards being around was extremely high. Dashing into the vehicles the excitement was palpable. As we drove into where the carcass was we spotted the Ximungwe Female lying in the long grass a little further away from the carcass. Although we didn’t have a clear view of her the feelings of elation that we had finally found her were evident on the grins across everyone’s faces. This was still however the beginning of an exciting sequence of events to unfold.
The Ximungwe female snarls at her grown-up cub, letting him know the time is nearing when she will no longer be willing to share her kills with him.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
Before we could even wonder where the now not-so-young male leopard may be and if his mother would still share this kill with him, she started giving off a low growl as he appeared from behind the bushes. Whether it was the positive manifestations or determination and patience of the team we had found the Ximungwe duo!
We positioned ourselves as best we could to get an unobscured view of the mother and son lying a few meters apart in the long grass. Hoping one of them would soon move towards the young bushbuck carcass to start feeding. While we waited, we had a chance to reflect on the life of this young male leopard from when my guests had last seen him at roughly six months old. Playing and grooming with his mother to now, a little more hostile scene between the duo as he edges closer to his independency.
One of the first clear images of the Ximungwe Young Male as his mother brought him across to a carcass to feed on.
After a cup of coffee in the vehicle, our patience was once again rewarded when the young male finally stood up, walked right past us, and revealed a second kill, a bushbuck ewe hidden under a guarri bush. The young male then used one of the many life skills his mother has been teaching him and scraped up some grass over the kill to mask the scent that may attract any lurking scavengers. This reminded us of how far he has come from the days when he would try to manoeuvre a kill while feeding up in a tree only to watch it tumble to the ground and be stolen by the ever-efficient hyena patiently waiting for that exact moment.
As the morning wore on, we decided that we had exceeded our goal of not only finding the Ximungwe duo but been captivated by the anticipation of tracking them, eventually finding them, and then spending some quality time watching them engage with each other, albeit not in the same loving way as they were just a few months ago as a naturing mother with a young cub.
A young male leopard prowling in the shadows
That afternoon, we couldn’t resist but to go and see what had transpired throughout the day. We were able to witness an incredible display of the Ximungwe Young Male’s now-mastered skills of gracefully leaping up into the Jackelberry while carrying the remaining portion of the bushbuck ewe. Securing this hard-earned meal from any scavenging hyenas as the sunset approached. All the while his mother kept a watchful eye over his movements, and we couldn’t help but wonder if she was now satisfied with her own hard work and patience in successfully raising her cub to independence.
The Ximungwe young male plans his next move on his ascent up a Marula tree where his mother was feeding on an impala kill (August 2022).
I can’t help but wonder if that was the last time we will track and find the Ximungwe Duo together as they share a kill. At least it appears that way for now. Since then the Ximungwe Young Male has been seen exploring further south into the rocky train of the Tugwaan riverbed, where we suspect he has been attempting to hunt larger prey on his own. His mother, on the other hand, has continued to showcase her dominance and experience as ranger Patrick Grealy witnessed a brief altercation with the Nhlanguleni Female and on yet another successful hunt, although this time the young male was nowhere to be seen.
Although I don’t have any photos of the bushbuck kill referenced in this blog, there are many other photos that showcase the skill and determination of the Ximungwe Female.
What really stands out to me is not only was this the first leopard cub I ever laid eyes on but that I have had the privilege of being able to watch him grow from that first glimpse to an independent young male leopard. Throughout his journey I have kept a personal journal of each sighting I have had with the Ximungwe Duo, totalling 33 sightings over the last 16 months, and while I could get lost telling stories over which was my favourite sighting, it is being apart of all these sightings and sharing them with others that have been a true highlight for me.
Thank you Kelsey for sharing some of your favorite sightings over the past year+ of this handsome and gregarious Ximungwe young male. It seems he has truly met everyone’s expectations in achieving independence, including his mother’s, who is now hunting only for herself it appears I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up pregnant by the end of the year, if not before. Even though he is newly independent and strong, I imagine he still has a difficult road ahead of him to make enough kills to support himself, whilst staying under the radar of the other dominant males in the territory.
It is an absolute pleasure to share these stories with you Denise, it has been a privilege watching him grow up. He does still have a tough road ahead but we hope he will become a dominant male himself soon enough. And I hope you are right to about the Ximungwe Female falling pregnant again soon too.
Wonderful blog Kelsey, thank you. I had some glorious sightings of him last November, and then again in February. Despite being a year old by then, he made the least elegant descent from a tree I’ve ever seen – he decided it was too steep to go down head first, and ended up shuffling down tail first with his front legs wrapped around the trunk!
Ximungwe has done a wonderful job in bringing him to independence – I think her previous cub is now called Mahlahla and is not too far away?
Thank you Suzanne, I am glad you can reflect on your own sightings with him and see how far he has come since those clumsy days. Yes it is the Mahlahla male and the Ximungwe female has done an incredible job raising these two males to independence. It won’t be long now until the Ximungwe Young male receives a name for himself.
A fabulous timeline, it’s been wonderful to experience this young male’s path to adulthood even vicariously. I’ll enjoy watching his progress as time goes on. I can only imagine how special it has been to observe the duo in person – what an awe-inspiring experience! thank you for sharing!
Thank you Kylea, I am so happy to hear you have been following his path closely too. It really has been a privilege watching him grow up!
It’s always satisfying to see that a cub has been raised successfully by its mother. A great achievement of the Ximungwe female. And lovely for your guests to have been able to see that young male again, after a year or so, as a more or less completely independent adult.
It really is an incredible achievement for the Ximungwe Female and a privilege for us to be an observer as the young male has grown up.
Hopefully you will be able to follow his adventures as he becomes fully independent and begins to identify his own turf!
Yes, I hope so too!
Great post about the Ximungwe Duo Kelsey. I too love these leopards having seen Mom about 3 years ago and both this pas time a month ago. Such a treat. Love the image of the male cub behind the mom with such curious eyes!
Thank you Kara, I’m glad you got a chance to see them on your last visit!
Wonderful account . Thank you for sharing
Thank you Ian, it is a real pleasure to share these stories.
Kelsey I can see the Ximungwe male cub has captured your heart like he did mine. The first foto of him was so special and I loved this cub from the beginning, right up to know where he is going to be on his own. That spec in his eye made him even more special. He has the cutest face expressions and mischievous look about himself. Mom taught him well and know she can be pleased to see him hunt, ascend up and down a tree, knowing that he can fend for himself know. Mom should be pregnant as she was seen mating with Senegal Bush Male. Soon we will be able to see new born cubs again. You are so privileged tto see him grow up right there in front of you and see him often. I can just see the foto’s and video’s.
I agree Valmai – he did capture my heart and I am so grateful for the privilege that I have had to watch him grow up. A very special young male leopard and we do hope that the Ximungwe Female will have another cub or two in the not too distant future.
He certainly is a very handsome boy…love his birthmark in his eye. What a great sighting in the video with Sean…not sure how I missed that one 🙁 Thank you for posting again!
I agree Anita, a very unique birthmark. I’m glad you enjoyed the video and the post!
A beautiful story of a stunning leopard! I hope he will stay at Londolozi somewhat, so that you can follow him. He has a difficult future ahead but has many chances to survive thanks to his mum’s lessons
Thank you Francesca, I will definitely be keeping a close eye on him where ever he may end up!
Kelsey, great blog about the young male leopard. Thanks for the wonderful video and pictures.
My pleasure William, I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
So so SO lucky to witness the growing up time of a young leopard! What a huge privilege!
I couldn’t agree more Lisa! 🙂
fascinating to watch the leopard chasing the hyena!
An incredible sighting! I’m glad Sean could capture it for us!
So incredible to see the leopard he has grown up to be! He definitely holds a special place in our heart too, as he was the first leopard we ever saw with you and Bennet, about this time last year. I’ll never forget seeing him sitting in the tree, perfectly posed. We can’t wait to return to Londolozi some day and hope to see the Ximungwe young male again!