Involved Leopards

Ximungwe 5:3 Female

Ximungwe 5:3 Female

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Maxim's 5:3 Male

Maxim's 5:3 Male

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Nsuku 2:3 Male

Nsuku 2:3 Male

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Robert Ball

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Robbie developed a passion for the African bush from many visits to his family’s small holding in a greater conservancy just outside Johannesburg. Living in the big city his whole life, he always found refuge in the outdoors and has grown to appreciate ...

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15 Comments

on An Unexpected Mating Affair

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Is it just the perspective of the camera or is the Three Rivers Young Male huge compared to this female? He looks much older and larger, but maybe it’s an illusion. The theory behind the dominant males tolerating their male offspring sounds logical to me. If makes sense why some of the newly independent males are hanging around longer and bodes well for them (semi-protected from larger territorial males) and their fathers (genetic backup and territory patrol like you mentioned). In this case if the Ximungwe Female becomes pregnant and had indeed mated only with the Three Rivers Young Male, I wonder if the Maxims Male would still be tolerant of any resulting cubs. Will be waiting with paws crossed to see when she has another litter.

Perfect explanation with absolutely stunning pictures! It’s like a slow-motion movie. The Ximungwe female was surely happy to have more chances to increase the matings success, as the Three Rivers Young Male is young and healthy. He is simply gorgeous. All three leopards are spectacular, and the hesitation of the young guy combined wth the effort of the older, more experienced lady are somewhat exhilarating!

Robert, thank you for the update and information about the leopards of Londolozi.

Robbie: What a thrilling adventure; I was breathless reading it! And I chuckled at your description of certain sounds as being like a diesel engine.

What an exciting experience! Firstly, that photo of the Maxim’s male is impressive! I’ve struggled to capture a clear image of him on multiple trips, to no avail. What a magnificent creature! And the mating pics are marvelous! Great blog!

Senior Digital Ranger

So thrilled Londolozi is working with Panthera. They are an amazing organization. Londolozi is the perfect marriage for them too. This was an enlightening post and the photos were fantastic! Thank you Robert!

Hi Robbie
In 2019, we saw Inyathini male mating with the Mashaba female at the same time as his son (Ndzanzeni young male at the time and now Tortoise Pan male). So I guess it’s rare but as you say, there is some logic to it.
Richard Houghton

Dad tolerating his young son mating with a female and “teaching him the ropes”? I have heard of this before and it probably isn’t as unusual as we think. When the Sabi Sand is at carrying capacity for leopards then everyone has to be a bit more tolerant of each other in order to survive!

Fantastic photos of the two mating, Robbie.
Actually we watched her mating with the Maxim’s male on August 29. So it seems that both, father and son have been mating with the same female. I hope that there will sonn be cute little leopard cubs.

How fascinating that the Three Rivers young male, who hasn’t been given his own name yet, has just mated with Ximungwe female. We followed him one morning in April, not an easy feat, and I couldn’t get over how big he was at barely 2 years – larger than Ntomi! It is intriguing that his presumed father, Maxim, has tolerated his
presence, even allowing him to mate. Now the countdown begins to watch for the telltale signs that Ximungwe is pregnant. Looking forward to further updates.

Well he’s certainly starting young, and practice will make perfect!
I seem to remember some years ago the Camp Pan male and his son Tu-Tones both mating with a female (I think it might have been Tamboti?) There was a photo on the blog of the 3 of them walking side by side.

Digital Tracker

I remember years ago Camp Pan Male & his son TuTones were both mating with the same female and tolerated each other very well. Like they say, Leopards don’t read the books to tell them how they are supposed to behave! lol

Good to see the Maxim’s male leopard is tolerating his son’s presence and allowing him to mate with the Ximungwe female. What a stunning g leopard the Maxim’s male is, his size is enormous. Wonderful to see these leopards mating , which in return we might be able to see baby cubs again.

That’s all OK. I only wonder if my favorite Kunyuma the Senegal Bush was not moved too much in his territory after that.

Wow, I’ve never heard of that happening before with two males mating with the same female at the same time!

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