When heading out on a game drive, there will always be an underlying plan or goal for the time in the wilderness. This is often influenced by what we have seen previously or if there is any particular interest from the guests in any specific animal. But once we are out there our plans can often shift or change depending on what we come across or what evidence or signs we see. For example, we might go out with the goal of getting into a specific area with the knowledge of a leopard being there the previous drive, but on our way there, we may come across fresh tracks of a different leopard that could be worth following, therefore changing the whole game drive. Finding these animals is a journey in itself and sometimes being the bush, the animals manage to evade us. But that’s the magic of it all – you never quite know what you are going to get out there.
The Sand River as the sun rises, especially in early winter time as the colours are just that much more dramatic.
On one particular drive, we set off with the hope of finding the Ntomi Male who was seen a couple drives before. Being a nomadic young male leopard, he often remains in a certain area for some time. We were excited to find tracks of him near the airstrip from early in the morning and began to search in that area. Unfortunately, we were unable to find him as he is not on territorial patrols just yet and quite honestly, his movements are rather erratic as he meanders his way in search of things to try to hunt. Often even attempting to catch birds, scrub hares mongoose, and mice. We decided to stop for a coffee and head out later that afternoon to try again.
Just what we were hoping to find, tracks of a male leopard on a road.
We set off that afternoon with great excitement as tracks of the Ntomi Male had been found on top of our vehicle tracks from the morning game drive. We could even see where the leopard had walked on top of tracker, Lucky Shabangu’s footprints. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, the long grass and thick area once again made it very difficult to find him – but we weren’t ready to give up just yet. The next morning we had no immediate sign of him until ranger Dan Hirschowitz found him. We raced across to see him but as we got there he had darted off after something into a very thick area and unfortunately weren’t able to refind him.
After searching for the Ntomi Male for three drives, finally, our perseverance paid off. He was found quite a way from where he was last seen lying in the grass in the shade of a marula tree. We sat with him for quite a while as he lay resting. It wasn’t a particularly hot day, but he remained in the shade until finally he got up and walked towards what we thought was the shade of another tree.
The Ntomi Male seeking refuge from the sun in the shade of a marula tree.
A single cub of the Ximungwe Female's second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.
We looped around to the direction he was heading, and right there under the tree was a young wildebeest calf that he must have killed sometime during the day. He had not eaten any part of it, which then made sense to me, he was resting under the marula catching his breath before eating. This has been the biggest animal he has killed that we know of, and it would definitely be too heavy for him to hoist into the tree. We left him that night with his kill still on the ground and waited to see what would transpire over night.
An impressive feat to bring down a wildebeest calf.
We headed back the following morning to see what may have gone down during the night, and there he was sitting beneath the same bush. To our surprise, the kill was still on the ground and had not been stolen by hyenas. Fortunately, the cool morning meant that perhaps the scent had not been picked up yet and he would be able to feed some more. He had his fill over the course of the day and by the time late evening had arrived a caln of hyenas had now smelt it and moved in to drive him away from the carcass. He was no match for the marauding hyenas. 
What was great to experience with this sighting, was having the patience and perseverance to keep searching for him even when we couldn’t find what we were looking for. I think there is a great lesson in that – the bush humbles you and teaches you patience and appreciation for the wild animals and the autonomy they have in their behaviour. Sometimes you are lucky and find animals early on in your drive and sometimes you don’t. It is a wild wilderness area and with a bit of luck and timing, you are rewarded with time spent with these incredible animals and get a snapshot of them in their everyday life.
With a low percentage of cubs making it to maturity, it is also so special to see a young leopard cub make his way to an independent adult
Secondly, it was great to see how this nomadic young male leopard has begun to catch more substantial meals which will sustain him for longer. Although his time at Londolozi may be finite, it is exciting to see how this leopard has survived and the Ximungwe Female has raised yet another cub.
Kirst, Thanks for the update on this special male. Your patience paid off! It will be interesting to see how he develops!
Wow!!! What stunning images you captured – and so lovely to see the vintage photo of the Ntomi male as a cub! Patience was definitely rewarded – thank you for sharing!
Hi Kirst, it’s always a pleasure to read news about him, and it was so smart of you to put his pictures from the gorgeous male he has become to the small but yet fierce cub he once was!
Good news from this beautiful young leopard. Hopefully he will be staying at Londolozi for some more time. Would be nice to see him again.
I can’t wait to come back next year!!
Kirst I am so pleased to see the Ntomi male has caught such a huge kill for the first time. This is just the beginning for him, he now knows he can catch wildebeest and impala as well, which will sustain him. He really is a stunning leopard with his spek in his eyes. In the wilderness you never know what is going down, or around the next corner. Which makes it even more special, anything can happen and it is most likely to happen before your very eyes. There is nothing like the bush rides and watching these incredible animals in their own environment, and breathing the clean fresh air in.
What a stunning cat he is turning into and hopefully he has a long life ahead of him yet!
I loved reading this Kirst as it brings back so many memories of my time with you and Lucky in search of Ntomi, and finally finding him. As we continued to follow tracks and other rangers’ leads, this elusive young male remained a ghost until we finally found him on the third drive. The resulting times spent with him are epic. It is a fact that we all have a bucket list of what we would like to see during a stay, however remaining patient and flexible often yields amazing results. My list has mostly been ticked off, save for seeing young leopard cubs – next time!
I had hopes of seeing the Ntomi Male and Tsalala Female lioness while at Londolozi this July. Shaun and Robbie gave it their best, but both animals were elusive. It’s not DisneyWorld…only Better!!! Our Family was able to see many other memorable leopards and lions along with your rhino (do they have names?), playful Ellies, Cape Buffalo, as well as the gamut of bush wildlife. We loved the total experience siting all the wildlife on your beautiful land. There were no disappointments. And what a delightful surprise to find Founder’s Camp so updated and utterly comfortable. Our 50th Anniversary party in the Bush will be remembered forever. Thanks to everyone for making this “another” Londolozi experience in our lifetime…and not just a once and done!!!
He is a beautiful young male. We encountered him twice during a recent Londolozi visit. I was fortunate enough to get many images of him. Your images are great!
Thank you Mark. He is a great leopard to photograph.
The Ntomi Male is one of the most stunning of the leopards to me. His beautiful markings are so clean and distinctive. He has the most amazing eyes. I can only imagine his beauty will continue as he fully matures. A wildebeest!! Already he is proving to be quite special. I hope he is with us for a very long time.
Thank you Barbi, he does have a unique look to him with his distinctive freckle in his eye.
Really like seeing the paw prints and a little about them it should be a standard feature!
Thank you Bob and Lucie. Certainly is an exciting start to a drive when finding fresh tracks as you know that the leopard must be somewhere in the area.
Wow, he certainly has grown up! – I was lucky enough to see him on a number of different sightings when he was younger. I’m hoping he might still be around when I come back in November. I’m also looking forward to seeing how Founders Camp has changed!
We hope so too. For now, he doesn’t have too much pressure from other leopards to be pushed out so hopefully he will still be around then. We look forward to welcoming you back to the new Founders Camp in November.
First, wonderful story about the Naomi male. I hope he continues his life successfully.
Thank you, William, we certainly do too. Will be interesting to see where this young male will end up in the future.