I recently had the absolute treat and honour to have some family visit Londolozi. With only a few drives to try and show them everything Londolozi has to offer and encapsulate the Londolozi Feeling in a short space of time, Tracker Equalizer and I decided to head out on our first afternoon to look for a leopard.
Hoping for a scene similar for our afternoon ahead! … The Ximungwe Female descends a fallen marula tree as a vehicle full of guests has front-row seats in this amazing scene.
My Aunt and Uncle had yet to ever see a leopard in the wild, so naturally I had put a little pressure on myself in the hope that they would get to experience at least one jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring moment with one of the Londolozi Leopards. Without setting our expectations too high for our first afternoon (as we all know the unpredictability and magical feeling of the unknown as we head out on every game drive), we set out to find the Ximungwe Female that had been found that morning in the heart of our reserve.
Little did we know just how jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring and MEMORABLE that first afternoon would be.
It is often the case with pregnant cats but when it becomes noticeable to us that the animal is very pregnant, it usually means she is approaching full-term pregnancy. The excitement levels are rising amongst the team as we wait in anticipation for when we suspect she will have given birth!
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
We found the Ximungwe Female resting up in a similar place to where she had been left that morning, showing off her very pregnant belly.
The Ximungwe Female and Maxims Male were seen mating at the beginning of July, so the timing of her heavily pregnant belly at the beginning of this month aligns with the approximately 110-day gestation period for leopards.
We spent most of the afternoon sitting patiently with her while she rested, admiring her from only a few meters away and appreciating the privilege of leopard viewing at Londolozi. Completely unphased by our presence as observers from the vehicle, we admired her rosettes, golden coat, long white whiskers and all the smaller details through our binoculars. We even got to see her pregnant (and full) belly kick a few times, which was an incredible moment for me in particular!
Ximungwe Female showing off her golden coat and great condition as a 9-year-old leopard.
Equaliser and I had explained that we wanted to sit with her for a little longer, as we could see she had killed and stashed not one, but TWO, small antelopes that she had been feeding on periodically throughout the day, and we anticipated that she may either want to have another feed as things cooled down at dusk or even better, hoist the remaining kill into a tree to avoid the threats of hyenas overnight.
We’ve been very lucky with sightings of the Ximungwe Female recently, and have seen her a number of times with kills. Given her higher energy exertion while growing a new generation inside of her, and still having to defend her territory, it’s not surprising she has been found hunting a little more frequently than usual.
As if she had heard our cue, the sighting escalated rather quickly as she got up and approached the remains of a nyala ewe yearling she had killed and began to feed. Not long after that, she proceeded to pick the kill up and drag it past our vehicles in search of a tree to hoist. My heart was racing with pure elation for everyone on the vehicle in anticipation of what we were hopefully about to witness. I could not believe our luck, and in between trying to reposition the vehicle up ahead, I turned back to catch a glimpse of everyone with the exact awe-struck expression I was hoping for!
The rest of the sighting played out with those expressions stamped on our faces as we watched her drag the kill, hoist it into a beautiful Jackalberry tree, climb back down, walk past the vehicle and return to finish feeding on the remains of her second kill.
Take a look at the video below from our afternoon…
As far as a first-game drive goes, our afternoon with the Ximungwe Female far exceeded everyone’s expectations.
With spirits high after decompressing and sharing our joy over a sundowner at a nearby crest, I remember driving home feeling overwhelmed with pride and gratitude for this incredible reserve. Proud to be a South African and protector of this land!
What a thrill to meet that fantastic daughter of the mythical Mashaba female! She reminds her mother, and in pictures taken from afar I sometimes mistake her for the Ntomi male. She’s strong and beautiful
How happy you and your relatives must be after such a great sighting!
It’s amazing how she can still jump with that pregnant belly from such a height off the tree.
I am looking forward to hearing about her new cubs.
What a stunning looking leopard!
Kate, what a wonderful time with your family and viewing the leopards. Great pictures, thanks for sharing.
And rightly so you should be proud Kate, you had an awesome experience watching the Ximungwe female pregnant at that taking that kill up the tree, stashing it the tree and depending down the tree again. That was amazing footage. So glad for you that your Aunt and Uncle could also witness the Ximungwe female in all her glory I the most amazing place called Londolozi.
Seeing a leopard for the first time is thrilling, but even more so to view one with relatives who have never seen one in the wild. I totally understand how you felt with your aunt/uncle as first time safari goers. I saw Ximungwe last month and noticed when she got up to stretch and move that she looked pregnant which is very exciting! She is overdue to have and raise another cub or two so I’ll be looking forward to seeing those first glimpses of tiny leopards.
What an amazing sighting … truly couldn’t ask for anything more! The Ximungwe Female is absolutely stunning. She looks so strong and healthy. Looking forward to her new family!
Wow Kate!! So great for you and your family to enjoy this amazing sighting of the Ximungwe Female in action! And I’m super Stoked to see that she is pregnant, and wishing her the best of luck as everything unfolds!!
We recently saw her as well – looking beautiful, full-in-the-belly, and successfully hunting. Looking forward to news of those cubs!
How exciting! I can’t wait to hear news of new cubs soon. Perhaps this litter will bring a little holiday joy.