After hearing a report of the Nkoveni Female and her two cubs crossing into Londolozi from our neighbouring reserve Mala Mala, we wasted no time and made our way into the area to see if we could find them. I had left Tracker Terrence to follow their tracks on foot while I looped up ahead on the surrounding road with the vehicle. With a little bit of luck and timing, I managed to spot the young female peering out from the top of a large termite mound. That initial moment of spotting a leopard after searching for it is such a rewarding feeling!
We followed the Nkoveni Female and her two youngsters through some very dense bushwillow thickets until they reached a small natural drainage line that I couldn’t cross with the vehicle. We lost sight of them as I drove around to an easier crossing point. I decided that we should drive to the top of the crest that they were heading towards so that we’d have a good vantage point and be able to spot them from a distance if they continued this way.
It gave me a little bit of an uneasy feeling when I had just been told over the radio that the Kambula Pride were at the top of the same crest. They were right in the path of the leopards’ general trajectory.
A storm was brewing on the eastern horizon, and a strong wind was starting to blow. Suddenly, I noticed that one of the lionesses lifted her head and stared persistently in the direction of the dense bushwillow thickets in the distance. I could see in her eyes that she had detected the leopards through their scent but could not yet see them.
The three leopards emerged from the bottom of the valley and continued to walk slowly up the crest towards the lions. The wind was blowing strongly from behind the Nkoveni Female and her youngsters, and they were walking straight into the setting sun with squinted eyes. I knew this was a recipe for disaster. One by one, the pride of lions hunkered down in the grass and lay perfectly hidden, waiting in ambush. The leopards were now only about 20 metres away.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
Seconds later, the young male cub spotted one of the lionesses. The three adult lionesses rocketed out of the long grass towards them! My heart was in my throat at this stage and all I could do was sit and watch nature run its course.
The young male cub bravely raced straight towards the lionesses to get to the nearest tree, leaping up onto its trunk and clawing himself up as fast as he could. He narrowly escaped.
The moment that the Nkoveni Female realized what was happening, one of the lionesses was already in full stride coming straight towards her. She spun around and ran away as fast as she could, but the lioness gained on her and within seconds it jumped on top of her and tackled her to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the young female bounding off down towards the bottom of the valley, making her way towards a large Jackalberry tree, and then we lost sight of her.
The Nkoveni Female was not going to go down without a fight. With lightning-fast reflexes, she swivelled onto her back and all I remember seeing were flashes of claws, teeth and rosettes from beneath the body of the large Kambula Lioness. She managed to land a few blows to the lioness, which gave her the tiny fraction of a second she needed to leap out of its grasp. She raced into the bushwillow thickets and right up to the top of a dead Knob-thorn tree where the lions couldn’t get her.
With the young male up at the top of the marula tree and the Nkoveni Female high up in a Knob-thorn in the distance, it was a sigh of relief for us all.
Glancing towards the bottom of the valley, we caught sight of a bit of commotion where most of the lions had now gathered. We drove down to get a closer view. In between the mass of lions, was the young female cub fighting for her life.
Her time had come and gone.
It was an incredibly sad day for the Nkoveni Female, and for the Londolozi Ranger and Tracker team. Both the young male cub and the Nkoveni Female are lucky to be alive. Such an encounter could have taken the lives of all three of them.
Sometimes Mother Nature can be cruel. The little female cub had won the hearts of many Londolozi guests who had the privilege of seeing her. Her extremely relaxed nature and playful confidence won’t be forgotten.
The male cub is perfectly healthy and doing well since their run-in with the lions. As the sole survivor of this litter of three, he’s lost both his sisters to the Kambula Pride. For him, experiences such as these will bring to light the dangers that exist out in the wild, and will positively shape his decision-making and awareness going forward.
The Nkoveni Female has a few gashes, but all are superficial and she will heal back to 100% within a couple of weeks. Female leopards are known to go through a grieving process as she has, where they will continue to return to the area where their cub was last seen, and constantly contact call in the hopes that it will return. One can only feel their pain when witnessing it first-hand. When you look at her, you may not see any tears, but I know they’re there.
We will be sure to put out any further updates on the Nkoveni Female and her cub as and when they unfold. For now, we are just very grateful that they are still around to continue their journey through the Londolozi wilderness.
Brings yet another tear to my eye after seeing them all together on two occasions in September, including the moment where the three were walking side by side. I really hope the young male will make it to independence and hope so much to see them again whe I return in April.
It’s so hard to accept these bush realities! You are so blessed to have been there. Hoping upon hope a better outcome for the young boy as well.
Thank you for the report. I so appreciate reading these blogs/articles as I cannot bear to watch these things play out in real time. It’s heartbreaking and yet, the written word allows my mind to imagine and respond without overwhelm. This is why I look forward to these news reports in my inbox! I appreciate and thank you Matt for taking the time to bring this sad news, yet am grateful for you and the guides who have the courage to witness it and bring it to us all. Kind regards.
Oh Matt, you are so right, this reminds us of how brutal the bush can be. We will forever remember our sightings of the trio. We mourn her loss, as we did on hearing of Tsalala losing her cubs.
Oh wow when did you discover the male cub had survived and when did he join up with mum? Regards Bridie
This is so incredibly sad, Matt. It really makes me cry again. This little leopard girl was such a beautiful, relaxed cub when I saw her and her family in September. Though it’s nature of course and one can’t change it and leopards are predators as well as lions a.s.o it is still such a tragedy.
I saw the Nhlanguleni female when she was searching one of her cubs that was killed by a hyena last year and another leopard mother in Sabi Sand that had also lost one cub to a hyena and also a Kudu mother who had just lost a young one to a cheetah. They were all mourning their losses. And as you said – their tears were there. And it makes one very sad.
It’s a sad tale of the realities of life in the bush. Let’s hope the episode does inform the actions of the young male and, we hope, future litters from the Nkoveni female now that she has demonstrated her genes can help her survive a lion mauling, and live on …
Hi Matt, now it’s even clearer, the Nkoveni Female couldn’t smell the lionesses and they were perfectly hidden and as intelligently as usual prepared their mortal trap. The young male was lucky to have a tree in the proximity. The fact that lions can climb trees too made my heart biting fast. But they pursued the mother and daughter. I noticed throughout the months how close was the daughter to her mother. She was the smallest in the trio as well. I’m sure her mum didn’t want to leave her. The way she managed to get rid of the lionesses mortal grip.was unbelievable. She’s a super creature, like the Tsalala female. They might be voted for mothers of the year. The little leopard could do nothing to set free. It’s the rule of the young against adult predators,ans, in this case, rivals. Both cubs were a spitting copy of their mum. I was so glad to look at them all together, they were so gorgeous. The male has chances to survive, the more he grows up. Thank you for the explanation and the lovely pictures, it’s difficult to meet such amazing creatures, their eyes are mesmerising, I thought the little Three Rivers female was so soft to be a predator and the young Nkoveni was the most beautiful and graceful
Another dose of how untamed the bush is.
And another dose of bitter sweet…
Thank you for sharing your incredible sighting…
It truly once again brought tears to my eyes and and saddened joy all in on short moment…
Wishing mom & son all the strength they need to carry on
Argh, could so have got up that tree!
Thank you for providing your perspective on this tragedy for the Nkoveni mother and her cubs. Amazing that she and her male cub survived, but very sad about the young female. From all accounts she was a wonderful leopard. I mentioned in my response to Sean’s video that it must have been a harrowing experience for you who were there, and I’m very appreciative of your sharing your experience here.
Hi Matt, this is such a devastating reality that happened right before your eyes. It is so sad and yet nature took its course. Nature can be so cruel at times, although we don’t always like it or understand it’s methods, it happens. I feel so sorry for Nkoveni for loosing 2 cubs in a short space of each other. Thank heavens Nkoveni and the male cub is still alive. I am sure she is grieving for her cubs, just like the Tsalala female is grieving over her 3 cubs. So very sad and upsetting.
Oh Matt, I am heartbroken. When I was there with you in May, we watched the cubs endlessly playing, and also watched the Nkoveni female return to the small tree where her first cub had recently been killed. Contact calling and sniffing around and rubbing her face on the tree. I don’t know how they survive emotionally, losing so many cubs. I am hearing good news that the young male has learned some lessons and makes it to earning a name of his own. Saki
I am absolutely devastated by this news…and I definitely cannot watch the video….Nkoveni and her darling cubbies were the stars of the show when I visited both Mala Mala and Londolozi in September. In particular, the female cub was a delightful little sprite and had such a feisty personality. I can only imagine the pain of the loss for Nkoveni as she grieves her little princess.
Having just finished editing photos from my recent trip, I again had tears in my eyes as I scrolled through the many images of Nkoveni and both cubs. Mother Nature can indeed be cruel but I’m thrilled that the little male survived and amazed that Nkoveni managed to fend off an Ntsevu lioness! She’s one tough leopard!
Matt, it’s taken me this long to just read the comments of other visitors. I can’t bring myself to read either post, look at the video or even the photos. Just reading the comments of others has brought me to tears.
Chuck and I feel so privileged to have spent time with the Nkoveni leopard and her two cubs at both Londolozi and Mala Mala. It was only last month ! We were delighted by the sight of this beautiful cub scoot up a very tall tree chasing a tiny bird. She had so much personality and energy. She was a delight.
Like others have already said, I understand the way of the bush but there is something unrelentingly sad about this particular loss. I take it from the comments that you were present when this tragedy took place. It must have been brutal for you and Terrence, whom I assume was with you. I am in awe of your fortitude.
I know you will keep us posted about Nkoveni and the male cub’s progress. I am rooting for them and hoping to see them when we return in July, 2025.
Reading your account of that fateful encounter between Nkoveni, her cubs and the Kambulas, reinforced the fact that nature isn’t always a place of calm or harmony. It’s a miracle that Nkoveni escaped with minor wounds and the male cub had a tree close enough to quickly climb out of danger. I’ve been sorting through my photos and videos of them from last month and even though seeing the three is now bittersweet, this little family brought so much joy to so many people, that we can be grateful for the time the little female entertained and sad that the family trio is now down to two. Fantastic photos Matt.
This makes me so sad. I was blessed with wonderful sightings of all three during my visit in July.
Matt, this is such horrible news. The video is just too hard to watch…
Matt, do you know if the lionesses consumed the young female leopard that was killed or left it?