A few months back, I shared the story of the Nkuwa Female leopard and her search for her cubs, as well as her mother’s new litter. Now, it’s time to provide an update, focusing specifically on the Nkuwa Female.
The Elusive Territory of the Nkuwa Female
The Nkuwa Female’s territory lies to the west of our camps, nestled along the picturesque banks of the Sand River. It’s a challenging area to explore, thanks to its dense vegetation that lines the riverbanks. Nevertheless, our dedicated ranger and tracker team has been relentless in their pursuit of this elusive female.
The striking bright pink nose of the Nkuwa Female.
At just five years old, the Nkuwa Female is considered relatively young for a leopard. The odds of successfully raising a litter tend to decrease as leopards grow older, and her first litter didn’t make it past a few months. However, her latest litter, consisting of two males, has managed to overcome the most trying times in a cub’s life.
The Mysterious Early Months
During the first two months of a leopard cub’s life, they are kept in secluded den sites, hidden among crevasses between boulders. This is a vulnerable time, as any other predator could pose a threat. At around two months old, their mother leads them to hoisted carcasses, marking the beginning of their weaning phase as they start eating meat.
A tiny cub peers out of its den set among a number of boulders.
For the first six months of their lives, we had not even caught a glimpse of the Nkuwa Female’s cubs. Part of this was due to her territory extending beyond the western boundary of our property, but it also mirrors the behaviour of her mother, the Nhlanguleni Female, who has a history of keeping her litters out of sight during their early months. However, in recent months, we’ve been treated to some incredible opportunities to observe both cubs.
A Morning to Remember
One particular morning stands out vividly. Ranger Reece Biehler and I decided to venture out early, hoping to spot the trio. Not long after setting out, we heard monkeys alarming along the southern bank of the Sand River. We knew that their alarm calls signalled the presence of a predator. Within just 10 minutes of searching, Ranger Kate Arthur also in the area had managed to spot the Nkuwa Female and her cubs. We were treated to the sight of the three of them walking past our vehicle before settling atop a termite mound.
Having the chance to observe the trio in the open allowed us to distinguish between the two young cubs. The first male is the more adventurous of the two, with a spot pattern of 2:2, while the second male, who tends to be more reserved around vehicles, has a 3:3 spot pattern.
The 2:2 male is on the left and the 3:3 male is on the right
What Lies Ahead
As the two cubs continue to grow, the demand for their mother to hunt frequently will only increase. Male cubs, being larger even at a young age, have substantial appetites. When left alone as their mother goes hunting, they will attempt to practice their hunting skills, often targeting small birds or mammals. However, this practice will be mostly futile, and they will rely heavily on their mother for food for at least the next year.
The Nkuwa female and the Senegal Bush Male (Most likely the father of the two cubs) sit atop a marula tree.
In my time at Londolozi, I have not yet seen a leopard successfully raise two male cubs. The coming year will be an intriguing one, watching how the Nkuwa Female takes care of these fast-growing male leopard cubs. One thing is certain: there will be plenty of opportunities to find the trio feeding on carcasses, as she will need to hunt every few days to provide for them.
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Barry, estoy muy sorprendido y cautivado con tu historia, tu narración es muy buena y cada vez que leo algo que tu escribes, estoy muy curioso por cada aspecto de tu trata como y tus aventuras. Definitivamente, ir a Londolozi es algo que quiero hacer en mi vida. Gracias por mostrarme una pequeña parte de Londolozi por medio de tus publicaciones.
Hola Jean, muchas gracias por tus comentarios sobre mis historias. Londolozi es un lugar fantástico y estoy seguro de que te encantará cuando lo visites. Espero que mi español sea lo suficientemente bueno y pueda hablar solo en español cuando llegues.
In all the years of daily blog reading, I don’t recall ever seeing mention of a litter of two male cubs. Perhaps there have been, but they were lost or reduced at a young age? With the demands of two rapidly growing boys, I hope she is able to provide for them. Let’s hope that because she is young and success rates are higher for younger mothers that she is able to see this challenge through. Only time will tell.
Tu Tones(2008-2015) and Makhothini(2008-2021) born to Maxabene Female
Thanks Luyolo. Both of those males certainly left their mark on the history of Londolozi’s leopards.
Hi Chelsea, I hope so too that they both make it to independence. She has managed to get them through the more trying times so I’m confident she will. Like Luyolo has pointed out there have been some other incidents where two males have been raised just not in my time here at Londolozi.
I figured there had to be. The last pair was born well before I found Londolozi, so that explains why I hadn’t heard of any. Here’s hoping mother and cubs continue to thrive.
Thanks for this update on the Nkuwa Female, Barry. I am glad that the two cubs have made it so far, which is really extraordinary, isn’t it?
Could it be that well-hidden cubs, hidden for the first four months or so, have a better chance of survival than cubs that are seen very early? I guess that hyenas do follow cars and might find cubs .
Hi Christa, I think as long as the correct protocols are followed with providing the mothers and cubs with the right sensitivity to their dens then we can certainly limit the impact we have on them. The Nhlanguleni female is notorious for keeping her cubs well hidden for the first few months and unfortunately she has only managed one successful litter. I think ultimately leopards lose a lot of their litters and when we see certain individuals more frequently than others we are made aware of this. Looking forward to your next trip to Londolozi.
It will be a great challenge for this mother to grow her male cubs into formidable hunters as their father. I’m sure you will keep and eye on them and fill with updates the blog! They are gorgeous!
Hi Francesca, we will certainly keep you updated on their progress and hopefully they become stalwarts of the leopard viewing like their father has been over the last few years here at Londolozi.
Great to see her cubs! They are getting big. We saw them in June wow what a difference. Good to see her tail healed too.
Hi Mark, it is fascinating how quickly they grow, particularly male cubs.
I’m going to be praying and wishing a long with mom those male leopard cubs make it right to old age
The Nkuwa female is a magnificent mother to be able to raise het two sons this far already. I have never read or heard of two male cubs before by any other female leopards. Her pink nose makes her very special. Let’s hope she can keep them feed and safe to adulthood. Thanks Barry update and stunning foto’s.
Hi Valmai, her pink nose certainly makes her special and easily identifiable too!
You and me both, Tammy!
Excellent
Barry, thank you for this intriguing look at the life of the Nkuwa female and her cubs. I will be awaiting future stories about their lives.
Hi William, we will certainly keep you updated with their progress.
It’s exciting to see two cubs survive to more than six months of age, yet alone 2 male cubs! We searched high and low for them in June to no avail so it’s great to see the images of them now. It will be interesting to watch them mature in the coming months.
Hi Mary Beth, they have been a very elusive trio to find. Hopefully you get to see them on your next trip here.
To date, I’ve not read of any female leopards successfully raising two male cubs, so kudos to Nkuwa as I believe her cubs are about halfway to adulthood. Given their size, she not only will be hunting to keep them satisfied, but also to ensure that she will continue to have the energy to feed and protect her family. Nkuwa is one of my favorite leopards and I’m hoping her youth will be the catalyst to raise both of these males to long and healthy lives.
Hi Denise, she’s one of my favorite leopards too. There have been a few occasions of two male cubs but it certainly is a rarity.
I hope that Nkuwa will continue to be successful raising her boys! And they are descendants and legacies of their grandmother Karula, too!
Hi Lisa, I have only heard stories about Karula but she sounded like a formidable leopard.
Jess’ pic really shows how different the boys look! So handsome! We will hope for their continued success! And look forward to watching 🙂
Hi Anita, Jess’ pic certainly does highlight the differences!
Hopeful. I’m back at Londolozi next September and hope that these two will be stronger and part of our sightings.
I hope that you get a chance to see them on your next trip!