Recently there has been quite a flurry of newly independent leopards across the reserve. The Ntomi Male and both daughters of the Nkoveni female’s last litter make up the latest three additions. The Three Rivers Young Male’s independence also looms large at some point within the following year.
However, over the past year and a half, the Piccadilly Female and her daughter have not seen much of the Londolozi spotlight. But for the last little while, the Piccadilly Young Female has been fully independent of her mother. She becomes the only cub that the Piccadilly Female, who is now nine years of age, has successfully raised to independence. Her father, presumed to be the Flat Rock Male, is still territorial over most of Marthly.
Here she rests in the cool shade after feeding on an adult impala ewe she had caught during the night.
This possibly comes as a slightly overdue update, but we’re very happy to announce that the Piccadilly Young Female will now be referred to as the Ngungwe 3:3 Female Leopard. We formally renamed her a few months ago but did not have enough supporting images to put a post out until recently.
The word ‘ngungwe’ is the local Shangaan name for the iconic African Fish Eagle. We derived her name from a small road on Marthly that lies close to the Sand River, known as “ngungwe link”. This road is quite central to the area she occupies. And lies in a stunning part of the reserve with a massive variety of terrain. From the lush green banks of the Sand River to large expansive Marula-littered crests, to dense Combretum thickets, as well as some interesting granite outcrops and boulder-strewn hillsides. To add to the beauty of this area is the ancient Manyeleti Riverbed that runs through the heart of it.
An elevated view of the picturesque Manyelethi riverbed. Translated into English from XiTsonga, the word “Manyelethi” means, “river of stars”
The Ngungwe Female descends a large Jackalberry tree along the Northern bank of the Sand River.
It is important to note that she was born in April 2020 – a time during which most of the world was in lockdown due to the global pandemic. This meant that during what are considered to be the most crucial stages of a leopard’s life (during the habituation process), she was not exposed to vehicles. Rangers and Trackers were not out every day tracking and finding her and her mother.
The Ngungwe Female and her mother the Piccadilly Female. It took a good 30 minutes of sitting in silence with very little movement from a distance until Guy Brunskill was able to get this shot. She was initially a very unrelaxed youngster.
There was a considerable difference between her and other cubs on the reserve who were born seven months later. The other cubs came into contact with vehicles more regularly, and from a much younger age. Without this exposure, the Ngungwe Female was a relatively unrelaxed and skittish youngster. And therefore is the main reason why she has not seen much of the spotlight growing up.
A beautiful sunrise, overlooking the core area of the Ngungwe Female’s territory.
Every time Rangers, Trackers and Guests have the opportunity to view her, we are all reminded of how incredibly privileged we are at Londolozi to view most leopards in the way that we do. However, the more that we’ve seen of her, the more relaxed she has become. It will simply be a process of patience, persistence and reverence.
She rests high up in a large jackalberry tree. It was a swelteringly hot day, as can be seen by the way she is panting here.
She has always proved to be a very difficult leopard to find regardless. This is largely due to the terrain of the area she occupies and her secretive nature. Fortunately, our hopes are that going forward we will start to see more and more of her.
She is entering a stage now where she will be looking to make more of a concerted effort to establish territory and make her presence known. Sightings of her have been few and far between, but each time we see her we notice that she is maturing into a beautiful young adult leopard who will most likely provide some exceptional leopard viewing on Marthly in years to come.
Beautiful photos & great story… one of the most beautiful regal leopards ever..I think she is exquisite!
As well as the Flat Rock Leopard… both stunning creations!
I have been wondering about the whereabouts of the Ngungwe Female since the last mention of her being renamed a few months ago,
Glad to read a mention of the Ntomi Male who has not been heard from much since being named.
Good stuff
Hi Ngungwe, you are so beautiful! I’ve not seen you or your mother (only her half-sister 3 Rivers) – so .
I’d really appreciate it if you can both hang around until I’m back in November. (Oh and thanks, Matt!)
How fortunate to have five leopard cubs to make it to independence within a close timespan. I wish them all the best of luck in what will hopefully be very long and productive lives.
She truly is a real beauty! I’m so glad for her and her mum! The Nkoveni twins have been a real gift, she comes a little by surprise as other young leopards were more frequently reported. This is a great opening for the new year, I hope all leopards will be lucky and the Mashaba female in particular as she’s getting old. Have you any news on the Inhyatini male, the Mashaba female and the second Nkoveni young female?
Thank you Matt for the introduction to the Piccadilly young female, now referred to as Ngungwe. It’s a fitting name for her given her territory that is in a beautiful part of the reserve. It is no wonder that she is such a stunning looking leopard, given her lineage. I looked back at my photos of both of her parents and she inherited the best traits from both. I hope she continues to thrive within the boundaries of Londolozi, but given the female density there now, I suspect it will be more difficult to carve out a decent sized territory.
Thanks for sharing, beautiful words and images. Miss you all!
Matt I am so pleased to see you are showing these foto’s of this adult cub of the Picadilly female. She is beautiful and I love the way her tongue sticks out on the first foto. Her new name is beautiful and suits her. Hope we can see more of her in the future and hope she will be more relaxed around the vehicles.
Thank you for the inroduction to the newly named Ngungwe Female. She is beauty Look forward to seeing more photos of her
She is a stunning leopardess and spitting image of the Flat Rock Male! Hopefully she will do her part to continue the Sunsetbend lineage
This young female is an absolute beauty!
Really nice pictures of her, too. I think I saw her in April 21 on exactly the same boulder she is on on one of the photos.
She was patiently waiting for her mother to return. Lovely to know that she is still around and in such good shape.
Thank you Matt for the wonderful pictures of the Ngungwe female. I hope she continues to be successful in establishing her territory .
Three cheers for the Ngungwe Female. Long may she roam and thrive at Londolozi!! Thanks Matt!
Matt, Thanks for the update! We are excited that the Piccadilly Female finally had a cub that made it to independence! Hopefully we will find her on our next visit!
A stunning leopard indeed. And yes how lucky we all are to view leopards and other wildlife so relaxed.