Over the past couple of months, a once-familiar presence in the far southeastern parts of the Londolozi reserve has now faded into absence. The Nweti Male, long regarded as the dominant male leopard in this part of the reserve, hasn’t been seen since mid-February. His territory is vast, stretching across more than 50 square kilometres, extending into multiple reserves across the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve. Certainly one of the biggest territories of recent years.
The Nweti Male lies beneath a large Natal mahogany in the lush green grass as he gazes up at the remains of his impala yearling that he has stashed in the canopy above.
Born 2014, dominant force in southern Londolozi. Notable for jaguar-like rosettes and exceptional hunting prowess, particularly of warthogs
For reasons relating to the size of his territory, it was normal for us to see him rather infrequently, despite a strong presence across southeastern Dudley.
Since we have had no tracks or signs of him in the area for a while now, we wanted to put out an update on him and suggest that it is quite likely that he has sadly passed on. While no physical evidence has surfaced, the likely explanation is a fatal encounter with lions, much like we thought to have been the case with the legendary Senegal Bush Male last year — a common end for even the strongest, healthiest leopards who are still very much in their prime. The Nweti Male was born in 2015 and is approaching 10 years of age. He was last seen in excellent condition and has always been a tall, long leopard with a large frame.
“An absolutely insane display of power and persistence as we watched the Nweti Male dig at a termite mound for 45 minutes before erupting from the burrow with this massive warthog in his jaws. The cloud of dust surrounding them perfectly captured this incredible moment – raw strength and determination in action. Without a doubt, my most incredible sighting of the year, and one that shows just how powerful these cats really are.”
What made him truly memorable, though, was his temperament. The Nweti Male allowed countless guests, rangers and trackers intimate glimpses into the life of an adult male leopard—often from just a few metres away.
My first encounter with the Nweti Male was nothing short of unforgettable. After a successful tracking effort, we found him weaving through a dense grove of tamboti trees, the dappled light and interspersed guarri bushes made our view fleeting and uncertain. Just as we began to think we might lose him altogether, he changed direction and walked gracefully toward a small pan, which was just a few metres from our vehicle. As he drank, the air stilled, and then, to our surprise, he rose and strolled right up to us, passing only inches from my right leg.
He glanced up at me, calm and unbothered, then settled down beside us to groom before drifting into a deep sleep. In that moment, the meaning of leopard habituation truly crystallised for me. This was trust, built over the years. I’m yet to come across a more supremely relaxed leopard than he was. And knowing the relaxed nature of most of the Londolozi Leopards, this does say a lot.
In his time, he sired several cubs. Among his most recent progeny are the Mgiba 3:3 and Karhula 3:3 Females, who are twins born around August 2023 to the Ntsumi 3:3 Female. As well as the Nottens 4:4 Male who was born in 2022. The Karhula 3:3 Female is seen every so often around the eastern portion of our southern boundary, and her sister has ventured quite far south to the very southern reaches of the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve close to the Sabi River.
The Nottens Male is still doing incredibly well and has gained considerable size as of late. These youngsters are all beginning to navigate life on their own. Through them, the Nweti Male’s lineage will live on.
Born 2021, mirrors father Nweti's presence. Young force showing remarkable confidence while navigating nomadic phase in southern territories
Given the rarity of relaxed territorial adult male leopards, his disappearance has been difficult to process for us. In the bush, absence accumulates slowly—first a few days, then a few weeks, until it becomes silence. We can hope that maybe he may reappear and make a miraculous return. But for now, we’ve accepted the rhythm of the wild and that the Nweti Male has likely passed on.
This was a huge bucket list item for me. The Nweti male opens his eye for a brief allowing us to capture him in one of my favourite trees at Londolozi.
Matt, I always admired him and stayed silent in front of his pictures. Leopards are masterpiece of beauty forged by nature. He was one that seemed immortal. In the last picture he’s like a sphynx, and I was moved by his deep sleep close to you. Lions sadly kill the best (even if all Leopards are best to me) this male was extraordinary. As the Senegal Bush male, the Plaque Rock female, the adorable mini Nkoveni and so many others. They don’t seem to be such a huge competitors, as they don’t chase buffalo, wildebeest, zebra… it seems that there’s a sort of… feline silent war towards these absolutely perfect animals. I hope he hasn’t suffered too much. Now he will rest in peace near you as he had done in the past…
a feline sort of hate. He will rest now in peace near you. Hopefully he hasn’t suffered too much…
I’m going to think he just moved to a different area. It’s not a fitting death for such a beautiful and noble cat to be killed by lions , just doesn’t seem right
So sad to think of never seeing him again, but it is the way of nature. Will continue to hope that he reappears
I hope he is just spending some time away. He was a wonderful leopard. We had a very close walk by with him too (you were our guide!). I was fortunate to capture some good photos of him.
I’m so sorry to read this, Matt. His presence will indeed be missed. You’ve written a memorable tribute.
Matt, Thanks for the update… Sad for sure…. Although we never got to see him, we enjoyed all the blog posts showcasing him over the years!
Given that he had such a large area, when did the other reserves last see him?
Truly a very sad loss for Londolozi…..we saw him last September in the Sand River and snoozing in a shady spot……then quickly up and moving across the sandy riverbed towards a hidden reedbuck in the grasses….which he missed. But I ended up with some epic shots of him crossing in a stalk position across the sand…..very much in a jaguar-like scenario! Now I will hope for good things for his son, the Nottens male….who we also spent time with last year.
Matt, thanks for this update on the Nweti Male. Maybe he has indeed just moved further south and is still alive.
It would be such a pity if lions had killed him. Leopards are such incredible animals, so graceful, powerful and beautiful. But anyway, that‘s life in the bush, often fatal for the most wonderful creatures.
Hi Matt, this is very sad news to hear although you are not certain yet. Let’s hope he makes his appearance shortly so that we can marvel at his cool and calm presence. Other wise it is fate that the lions have killed him, just like the Senegal bush male and the Plague rock female. Such a pity and actually heartbreaking.
I appreciate this heartfelt tribute to the Nweti male, but sincerely hope it is premature. Spending time with your neighbors in the south, I’ve had a few opportunities to view this magnificent male, in addition to his progeny over the past few years. As you stated, he is a stately male, tall, strong, charismatic – the perfect male leopard. He seemed to be the perfect mating partner for Ntsumi, passing on his strong genes, inasmuch she has successfully raised 4 cubs-leopards in the past few years. So I’m going to remain hopeful that he will turn up – it was thought that Flat Rock met his demise but he just moved further north.
What a beautiful tribute to a magnificent cat…. But I also am going to still hope he has just moved to another area in his territory. Let’s wish for the best until we know for sure.
Until then, will keep praying for good news!