The change of seasons is soon upon us, the mornings remain a touch crisp but the jackets are coming off a little earlier these days. We’re heading toward a time of year that many of us love; spring, the reflowering of the bush after a long period of dry dormancy.
It’s been a predator-rich week here on our little patch of the mother continent, all pups and cubs seem to be thriving through the harsher winter months. The ongoing saga of the two packs and the three pups continues to keep us on the edge of our seats. The Ntsevu Pride’s little ones are a joy to behold, their energy and curiosity insatiable as they gambol under the watchful eye of their mothers and aunts. The Nkoveni Female’s maternal prowess remains unparallelled as her two cubs grow in stature and prowess; climbing, exploring and even making their own small kills every now and then!
On the herbivore front, there’s a nursery of several young giraffes that melt hearts with their adorable curious stares and the elephants are making great use of the river as all the smaller waterholes and ephemeral pans await the refill of the summer rains. The river and waterholes that remain full are photographic goldmines through the last weeks of the dry season.
And finally, two relatively rare characters (at least for me over the past year or so), the Mawelwela Male and the Tortoise Pan Male, two beautiful male leopards showed themselves, and what specimens those two are! Also, the Mawelawela Male was mating with the Golonyi Female, a resident female of our southern neighbour, a female none of us had seen yet! The romance was broken up as the Kambula Pride wandered through the area, catching wind of the two and treeing them briefly before losing interest and moving off.
It’s been another wonderful week at Londolozi, everybody. It always is.
Let us know your favourites in the comments below.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
Golden silhouettes.
You can still see the umbilical on this young calf, indicating it is somewhere between 1 and 3 weeks old.
The Tortoise Pan Male! One of the first leopards I saw when I arrived at Londolozi 5 years ago. I remember vividly how we saw him stand on his hind legs to peer over some grass, a very special memory.
Born in 2016, this male spent his early years in the south-east of Londolozi, but began moving further afield in late 2019.
Shouting at mum!
A little sentinel.
A big old yawn from a big old male! One of the Ndzhenga Males shows off his gnashers!
The waterholes at this time of year are wonderful.
The Nkuhuma Young Male traverses a crest as he calls to his brothers, the iconic Ximpalalapala Koppie behind him.
The mother of the three hotly contested pups pauses to glance toward the den as she quenches her thirst.
The Nkoveni Young Male, what a character!
Making himself comfortable.
The Golonyi Female! What a stunning female she is.
The Mawelawela Male, wide-eyed and nonplussed after the chaos of being tree’d by the Kambula Pride.
Began as a fairly unrelaxed leopard in the southwestern parts of the reserve. Now providing great viewing in the open grasslands
Vantage point.
Learning from the best.
Stopping temporarily at a waterhole to quench its thirst.
Laser focus. The Kambula Female stares after a kudu that the Ndhzenga male had just flushed.
Like mother, like daughter.
A gorgeous female who is found to the east of camp. Easily recognised by her 2:2 spot pattern she is often to be found in Marula trees.
A lone elephant crosses the Sand River early one afternoon.
Ranger Shadrack Mkabela and his crew pulling up for sun-downers.
Thanks Kyle, lots of fantastic images to admire. I’m very happy you’ve seen Tortoise Pan again, hopefully he’s been siring lots of cubs and passing on the legacy of the mother leopard.
I particularly like the photos of Nkoveni and her 2 cubs. They must be about 8-9 months old now? I think it’s the 1st time she’s had a male cub?
Wonderful pictures this week Kyle. I liked the shots of the leopards as they have not been seen often. It is good to see them alive and well.
Kyle, Great photos this week – well done! Great to see some of the lesser known leopards. We love the one of the Nkuhuma Young Male at Ximpalapala – one of our favorite spots!
Wild dog pups, leopard cubs and lion cubs
Lovely
Love your comments most Kyle! The Mawelawela Male is a very unique looking leopard! But I think the little wild dog pup is my fave this week…they are just so cute! Also the zebras at the watering hole captures great colors. Happy weekend!
A really enjoyable collection of TWIP images, Kyle! Loved seeing the Mawelawela male, having seen his father as a cub in 2010!
Kyle, the photo of the Ntsevu cub is priceless! So much expression on his tiny face.
Beautiful images Kyle this week. My favorite is the baby giraffe, so cute. Secondly would be Nkoveni and her two cubs, that are growing up so fast.
Thanks for the beautiful photos, Kyle. They are all stunning.
You’ve many amazing pictures this week Kyle and for sentimental reasons I’m beginning with the Tortoise Pan male. He was the first leopard I saw, on my first visit to Londolozi, at the beginning of my first drive there in 2018. Stretched out across the lava-like dried mud, he was impressive. Another two I favor are your photos at sunset, capturing the evening’s golden hues whilst illuminating the dust raised by Shadrack’s vehicle. Golonyi is a special female leopard whom I’ve seen and followed since she was a cub, and you captured her beautifully in the bend of the branch. The pup is much bigger and just adorable. The final couple of favorites include mothers and youngsters, Nkoveni and a Ntsevu lioness. Thank you for sharing these.
Love the giraffe calf and the silhouette of the heron. Who is the Golonyi female? I don’t recall seeing that name before.
Thanks Kyle, for that fantastic news, Tortoise Pan is back, saw him with his mother and father together , unbelievable. Very nice pics at all.
The Ntsevu cub and mum win the first prize. Absolutely irresistible and what a shot! Then the Nkoveni family are always a unique experience. The Tortoise Pan male looks gorgeous… all pictures are nice
Wonderful photos Kyle. Thanks so much for sharing. My favs are the leopard and lion cubs and the wild dog pup. The photo of Ntsevu lioness and cub is also just precious. It’s so hard to choose just one honestly. I absolutely love TP. He’s my favorite male leopard!!
The Mawelawela male is a specimen! He looks massive!