This week’s Virtual Safari kicks off with a flurry of exciting yet fleeting moments—a glimpse of the Three Rivers Duo, a herd of elephants slowly feeding their way across the landscape, wild dogs racing over Ximpalapala Crest, and even a male lion reclining beneath a rainbow. These moments, while brief, remind us just how alive the bush is at every turn.
But the heart of this episode lies with the Ximungwe Female and her cub, who treat us to a spectacular afternoon of action around a hoisted carcass in a marula tree. There’s something endlessly entertaining about watching a leopard cub navigate the ropes of life in the canopy – climbing up and down, testing its strength, and occasionally giving its mother mild heart attacks.
This time, the cub wasn’t entirely to blame. The impala carcass had been left dangling rather precariously, and as fate would have it, it slipped. But in a flash, the Ximungwe Female launched herself out of the tree, intercepting the prize just seconds before a hyena came bounding in to try its luck. A narrow escape, and a thrilling moment that left us in awe of this mother leopard’s speed and instinct. She reclaimed their prize and had it safely hoisted again within minutes.
Enjoy this Virtual Safari…
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Sean, that was wonderful but your headline nearly gave me a heart attack – I thought it was another close call with lions!
Hi Sean, your video are always a surprise for the weekend… the Three Rivers duo are in my heart, I’m just a watcher and they have their wild and free nature of predators, nonetheless the attachment between them is so touching, I’ve been moved since the cub was born and sick, and from a strictly behavioural point of view it’s interesting to see how this tight bond between mother and daughter will (a bit sadly) end due to the call of reproduction… elephants are so relaxing, I’m always so pleased to watch them. Wild dogs make me a bit nervous, they are too excited and their voices are high-pitched in a very different way from canids but dholes, their relatives, also the rigid way they move and their tails hang low… the Ximungwe female and her cub are a fun to watch, she looks big and strong, a large leopard, he looks even more tiny but his big paws tell the opposite… I’ll grow up and be a large male! She’s greatly timing. Her traits are different from Nkoveni but also beautiful like all leopards. Is the father the Maxim male? He has a large muzzle and a softer look in comparison to other male, his ears look small now that he’s so large… thank you, what a wonderful green variety of plants and trees!
Dear Sean, it is every time amazing to have a view of leopards in a tree, especialy a mother with her cub. And so many times the kill is falling down . great video ,
Hi Sean, beautiful moments spent with the Ximungwe female and her cub. So glad she could the carcass up the tree again with lightning speed before the hyena came sniffing around there. Three Rivers female and her cub are just about the same size know. They are both doing well. The Toulan Pack back on Londolozi and I saw the one wild dog was limping. Elephants came so close to your vehicle but so calmly ambered by. Beautiful video thanks Sean.
Following the adventures of these leopards is always a special treat. How graceful and competent the Three Rivers Duo is moving through the bush, and how careful the Ximungwe Female was watching her son and her prey so that she was able to rescue the precious meat.
I also love the scene with the elephants. It’s always fantastic when these animals come close to the car and one realizes how big and yet gentle they are.
It was wonderful seeing how well the Three Rivers young female is doing – hopefully she’s been doing some hunting on her own inasmuch as she will be independent in a few months. The male cub of Ximungwe is certainly recognizable by his ears, perhaps a sign of the size this leopard will attain at full growth. It’s fun to watch him stalking and playing with his mother, who is extremely patient, especially when the cub accidentally caused the carcass to fall from the tree. Without hesitation, she flew down that tree trunk to reclaim it before the hyena moved in. Most impressive!
Two questions: would a mother leopard fight a lone hyena should one grab her cub? I’ve never really heard the lengths they would go seeing that they avoid hyenas at all costs? Also…what was that (bird?) making noise at the end of the video? Not sure I’ve heard that specific character before!