Some arrivals happen quietly. No grand announcement, no dramatic showdown, just a set of fresh tracks in the sand, a fleeting glimpse through the thickets or a new tail hanging from a Marula tree. For those who spend enough time out in the wild, these understated moments often mark the beginning of something significant and this has the potential to be just that.
The tail of a leopard hanging ever so elegantly from a marula tree
Over the last few weeks, a new character has begun to make her presence felt along the eastern boundary of Londolozi. A young female leopard has been spotted on more than one occasion patrolling the eastern parts of Londolozi possibly in search of a territory for herself. She is the N’wana Female, born in April of 2023 to the Sibuye Female, a territorial leopard just across the Sand River in Mala Mala. Now reaching the age of two years old she is beginning to test the waters of independence. Being raised on our neighbour’s property, she is a new face to us all but one we are slowly starting to recognize.
The N’wana Female poses in a Marula tree. One of the first sightings of this beautiful young leopard.
She was born as part of a duo. Her litter mate, the Gonya Male, like many young male leopards, may one day disperse even further in search of a territory has not yet been seen on Londolozi. However, the N’wana Female is definitely on our radar. Offering the exciting possibility of a new female leopard to introduce herself to our ever-evolving leopard population.
The transition from adolescent to a territorial female is one of the most captivating journeys we witness in the bush. It’s a rite of passage shaped by instinct, opportunity, and sometimes pure luck. As is often the case, a mother leopard will forgo some of her own territory to her daughter but in some cases, when density pressures are too high, a female cub will have to go searching for a territory, often not too far away from her natal ground. With a strong maternal legacy and a seemingly growing comfort in the Londolozi landscape, the N’wana Female may well be laying the first foundations of her future here.
Recent sightings of her have been on the border of three of our resident female leopards’ territories. She was first spotted in the northern reaches of the Three Rivers Female’s territory, subsequently along the eastern parts of the Nkoveni Females territory and her latest sighting was on the border of the newly settled Xinkhova Females territory. Lately, the Nkoveni Female has slowly been moving more into the central parts of Londolozi and could this be for a number of reasons. Is this because the N’wana Female is putting pressure on her? The Three Rivers Female has been seen slightly more south too. Has the N’wana Female already made herself at home or are these movements just coincidental?
My gut feeling is that it is just coincidental as the N’wana Female is still young and small and unlikely to have put pressure on these well-established dominant female leopards. I doubt the Nkoveni Female would relinquish territory to this much smaller young N’wana Female.
Her presence raises questions that ripple through the leopard dynamics of the area. Will she stay? Will she find a gap in the territorial puzzle that allows her to establish herself on this side of the Sand River? Or will she be forced to move further afield in search of space? Only time will tell and you never know, on your next visit to Londolozi there might be a new face to greet you.
Oh, she’s such a beauty! She looks smaller and her expression is softer than the two grand lairs you mentioned. Her eyes are bright yellow. It seems that for the moment she’s lucky… the Three Rivers female is smaller but has a great personality that allowed her to fight against all odds. Who knows if this graceful, apparently more delicate young lady will learn to fight and have her own territory established. I already like her sooo much! Fingers crossed for her!
Bryce, as a reader of this blog I am well used to photos of leopards in trees , but the third picture on this blog is a wee bit special
What an exciting development. I hope she sticks around.
She looks beautiful and rather delicate. The dynamics with the Londolozi females will be interesting to watch!
Beautiful girl!!!
What a wonderful beautiful leopard. Hope, she will stay at Londolozi
What an absolutely beautiful cat!
She is just perfect!!!!
Wishing her good luck!
She is such a beauty! I hope that she might stay on Londolozi or part of it so that I might see her one day.
There are so many wonderful leopards in the Sabi Sand area and especially at Londolozi. They are, though I really enjoy all the animals (apart from crocodiles), my absolute favorite ones.
Hi Bryce, that is good news for Londolozi having new blood coming in, in the form of a leopardess. She is still young and she is absolutely beautiful. I hope that she can get herself territory without disturbing the other female leopards on Londolozi.
Bryce, Thanks for the update! Wow another beautiful Leopard to keep up with! It will be interesting to see how she integrates and eventually habituates in the area. We look forward to hearing more!
She’s a beautiful female leopard but given the number of females still claiming territory within Londolozi, she could face some opposition. It seems Xinkhova has been spending more time in Plaque Rock’s territory so that isn’t available. But stranger things have happened when it comes to leopards and territories so now we wait to see if she begins to find a place to settle on the west side of the river.