Nature unleashes its full force in this Virtual Safari, beginning with a spectacular deluge that transforms the landscape. Over 100mm of rain turns the usually peaceful Maxabene River into a thundering torrent, offering a rare glimpse of the bush in flood. Sheltered under our trusty beach umbrella, we take a moment to dive into an extraordinary afternoon of leopard drama.
The heart of our story unfolds with the Nkoveni Duo – a mother leopard and her ambitious young male cub. What starts as a seemingly routine hunting expedition becomes a masterclass in predator dynamics. The mother’s growing frustration with her overeager cub sets the stage for an unexpected twist. While she successfully ambushes a lamb, her young protégé proves his emerging prowess by taking down a full-grown impala ewe – a meal five times larger than his mother’s catch.
Just as we pack away our umbrella and head for camp, nature offers one final gift: an impala ewe, moving with an unusual gait, catches our attention. Following her into a thicket, we become privileged witnesses to one of the bush’s most intimate moments – the birth of a new lamb. In a single video, we’ve experienced the full circle of life in the African wilderness, from flood waters to successful hunts, and finally, new beginnings.
Enjoy this Virtual Safari…
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
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Great hunt, little buddy! I love how afterward he was sort of looking around like, “Mom, what should I do now?” Glad they were successful and will live another day well fed.
I so wish I had been able to see him take down the impala, it is such an impressive feat for him. And as you say, he then looks around very proud of himself but didn’t quite know what to do next. After seeing his mother drag her carcass under the bushes, he then followed suit.
Hi Sean, your usual WOW video today has some peculiar mix…. first, the Ximungwe female with her (aa suspected) a delightful male cub! What a wonderful scene! Then, the Styx young male and the lovely Breakaway Female, but, in spite of the lions beauty and majesty, I noticed that a year of the poor buffalo calf was moving while she was eating it… it was such a shock it ruined my idyllic vision… poor little creature, and its mum nearby… lions don’t usually act like that, they suffocate or break the spine before eating. It was too.much. when it comes to wild dogs or hyena I don’t want to watch. Then thankfully the Nkoveni duo, the boy showed his hunting ability and the young impala was an easier target. They are fantastic, just a while and his sister would have joined him. Leopards remain my favourite hunters, they are the ultimate hunters, no prolonged fight, a quick mortal bite and the prey has gone. I wish Leopards would become a rising force, being able to protect themselves and their preys from lions, hyenas and so on….
Thank you so much, Francesca. I guess it is the harsh realities of life out here and do agree that it can be hard to watch. But as you say, leopards are the ultimate hunters and death is often quick for their prey.
Brilliant! – well done to the young male, that’s a big catch for his age (is he about 1 year old now?) We were lucky enough to spend quite a while with him and Nkoveni in November, soon after his sister had been killed. He was full of beans, playing with a stashed impala carcass in a tree (which he then dropped) and tossing it around back on the ground. He was an absolute joy to watch.
Did anyone see the carcasses the next morning? – hopefully they got them stashed.
It is such an impressive catch for him, he is turning one this month (January). Often young leopards around this age are such a joy to watch because everything in their world is a game and they are learning the ropes for later life. They managed to get the smaller carcass stashed in a tree nearby but presumably lost the larger carcass to hyenas.
What a great video again, Sean! The rain is so good for the land and the animals.
Amazing how the Nkoveni’s cub has grown. He really looks like an adult leopard and obviously he is already able to hunt like one. Wow!
And as the cherry on top of the cake you could also watch an impala giving birth. Enviable.Thanks for this video.
Thank you so much, Christa. He has grown so much and is showing signs of being a proficient hunter. He still has a long way to go before he will be completely independent from his mother. Yes, I was very fortunate to be able to see the impala give birth.
Dear Sean, uh , it is really wet. Great to see that Nkoveni is still such a successful mother, that both make a kill- good sighting
Thank you so much, Jutta. We have been blessed with some much needed rain and we look forward to the transformation of the bush in the next few weeks.
Fabulous video. Can’t wait till tomorrow!
Meanwhile two Go Pros needed plus a replacement camera with memory card and battery!
Never a dull moment.
Many thanks from the UK. Freezing here.,
Thank you so much, Louise. Haha, yes, a second GoPro would probably help. I have a number of spare batteries and memory cards but we had already been following the leopards for about two hours before the hunt and so I had used them up already.
Sending you warm wishes from our toasty African Summer.
Hi Sean, so very thankful for the rain which causes dramatic change to the bush. Refreshing the whole bush and giving ample water for the animal’s and humans.
So very excited to see the young Nkoveni male catch his own kill and that being a fully grown impala ewe. He is know armed to go on his own in the nearby future, seeing that he has caught his own kill. Mom Nkoveni was quite agrivated by him. Fantastic to see him growing up and becoming more and more independent. So beautiful to see the new born impala lamb. So very precious. Cannot wait to see what you have in store for us on this story.
Yes, he is doing so well and these are good signs that he is becoming a proficient hunter. I do still think that he will be with his mother for a while longer. It is just a fortunate time for them with there being so many young impala lambs around that hunting is a bit easier.
Absolutely awesome to see the Nkoveni young male with his first big kill! Fabulous work! Is his first birthday soon? Seems to me that it must be.
It was fantastic to see him bring down this size impala all by himself. Yes, we believe that he was born sometime in January 2024 so this month he will be turning one year old.
Wow Sean, talk about an epic virtual safari. It’s only January 12 and we’ve seen two brilliant videos so far this year. Nkoveni’s cub has certainly grown in girth and height since I last saw him in October. Whilst he may lack finesse in his hunting prowess, at least he knows the basic elements. What would have completed this hunting saga was to see him try to hoist that large impala ewe into a tree – considering his size, I doubt he’s there yet. It’s good to know that they will have plenty to eat, as long as the hyenas don’t discover their bounty.
Then you left us with a teaser – the birth of an impala lamb. I’ve only seen an antelope birth once by a Tsessebe in the plains of Botswana and captured it on my old Sony video camera back in 2000. It’s a drive I will never forget – watching the beginning of a new life after seeing a cheetah hunt and take down a small impala – as you stated, the circle of life….. each day in the bush offers so many amazing sightings and experiences. Additionally that rainstorm was unbelievable – in all the times I’ve been to Londolozi I’ve never seen water in the Maxabene, not even a puddle. I did have a chuckle at watching Souch try to cross – that water was never going to let him so I’m glad he turned back! Looking forward to next week’s video.
Thank you so much, Denise. The Nkoveni Young Male is growing indeed, he is blessed with some good genetics and will likely turn into an impressive male.
I would loved to have seen them attempt to hoist their bounty into a nearby tree.
Witnessing a birth is a special encounter and I was just so lucky to be in the right place at the right time and saw the ewe running off into the distance.
It would have been entertaining to see Souch get swept downstream, but thankfully for his sake he turned back.
Wow, brilliant video all around Sean!! So stoked for the young Nkoveni male’s successful takedown of the female impala! Echoing others’ comments here, it was really fun to see his post-kill behavior; a split between “look what I did” and “now what do I do?”!!! Thanks for the great footage, as always!
Thanks so much, Paul. He was so proud of himself after he caught it.
Fabulous video today of the Nkoveni female and her male cub! She has indeed taught him well to hunt! What more could a mother leopard ask for! Superb! Great to see rains and will create bountiful food and water!
Thank you so much, Michele. We are so grateful for the rains.
Amazing viewing
Just goes to show that patience pays off….Would the mom and cub not be more protective of the larger carcass? It was a giggle moment for the young male to look around to say “hey look what i did”…but no one seemed impressed, especially his mom. Would the mom every help him stow it away?
Patience certainly pays off out here. I would have thought that they would rather try hoist the larger carcass, but on the other hand the smaller one is easier to hoist and would still provide them a decent meal.