Just over a year ago, the Nkoveni Female was raising three young cubs in the very familiar dense vegetation of the Maxabene Riverbed. While two sadly didn’t make it, today, her remaining male cub has since grown into a confident and promising young leopard. Now roughly 15 months old, he is showing early signs of stepping into independent life.
An old picture of the Nkoveni Female playing with her two cubs in the dry Maxebene riverbed.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
New Movements, New Territory?
In recent weeks, the guiding team has noticed a notable shift in the movements of the Nkoveni Female. She has been venturing further north and west from her usual territory around the Maxabene, even extending into areas near camp that were once rarely part of Nkoveni’s core territory and encroaching into the Nhlanguleni Females Territory.
In the first week of April, she was found on the western side of the Londolozi Airstrip and then moved even further west into a drainage line near camp. She was seen there with a nyala lamb kill on the 7th of April. The Nkoveni Female was then seen again near Pioneer Camp, along the Sand River, an area where the Nkoveni Female was born but hadn’t been back to in years. A very interesting observation was that every time she was seen west of camp, she was there without her male cub. Fast forward to the 17th April, she was found with her cub at an impala kill back in the heart of her territory.
The Nkoveni Female impressively hoists an impala into a tree
This movement is not uncommon as cubs grow older—leopard mothers often lead their offspring into the outskirts of their territory, spending more time apart, as a gentle introduction to independence.
What’s particularly fascinating is watching the Nkoveni Female navigate this process. She’s an experienced mother leopard, and her strategy seems deliberate, guiding her cub further away from her core territory, perhaps to reduce competition and tension as he grows older. These exploratory excursions away from her territory are likely part of a broader transition as the young male prepares to venture out on his own.
The young male cub is getting bigger and is almost as large as his mother.
A Cub Comes of Age
At 15 months old, this young male is entering a crucial period of his life. He’s still spending time with his mother, feeding off her kills and occasionally being spotted following her scent trail. But there’s a growing sense of independence in his behaviour—he’s been seen trailing behind on hunts, practising stalking techniques, and even being left alone for extended periods.
One of my favourite pictures of the young male strolling down a game path.
Male leopards typically begin to separate from their mothers between 18 to 24 months of age, though this can vary depending on food availability, territorial pressure, and the temperament of the individual cub. Some males become fully independent closer to 16 months, especially if they’ve had the benefit of a secure environment and abundant prey, a reality for the Nkoveni Young Male as he approaches 15 months old.
An action shot of the young male trying to impress his mother by jumping out of a marula tree.
If his recent behaviour is anything to go by, it won’t be long before we see him begin this bold new journey. The path ahead will be full of challenges—from navigating other established male territories to learning how to consistently secure his own meals—but the foundation laid by his mother has been strong.
We are finding the male cub in trees more often as he grows in confidence and spends more time on his own.
Looking Ahead
As the Nkoveni Female continues to thrive and raise cubs well into her later years, her legacy seems set to grow. This male cub, now on the brink of independence, represents not just the next generation of leopards in the Sabi Sands but also a testament to the enduring maternal instincts and territorial resilience of the Nkoveni Female.
The Nkoveni Female growls towards her son. This is behaviour we observe when leopard cubs get older and start to experience the solitary nature that a mother leopard imparts on a cub.
We’ll be watching closely over the coming months to see where the young male moves next—will he continue exploring the northern fringes? How much longer will he be seen with his mother? Or will his solo chapter begin sooner than expected?
Great blog on the Nkoveni Female and her more or less adult son. To follow the development and stories of these leopards is always exciting and so interesting. I always wonder what will become of these youngsters when they become independent and have to fend for themselves.
And it’s always great to meet them again on a next visit to Londolozi to see what has happened to them.
Hi Christa, yes only time will tell whether the Young male can fend for himself as he enters independent life. We hope he doesn’t wonder too far and that we can enjoy sightings of him for the foreseeable future.
This got me thinking about how mother leopards known which of their offspring to cede territory too. Since humans invented the concept of gender, they must be able to distinguish the sex of their cubs apart by something else–hormones? Scent? She’s only raised female cubs to independence at this point, so I wonder how she decided which of her daughters to give territory to, and how she’ll navigate this with this young male. Perhaps it is also instinctually programmed into the young males to disperse, and not just the result of their parents pushing them further away. I’ve loved watching this little one grow.
Hi Chelsea, good comment. Male cubs will get encouraged by the mother to disperse as he reaches the right age. This can differ from male cub to male cub. As this is her first male offspring, we will be watching keenly to see how long it takes him. He is just 18 months, which is still early for independence, however the Three rivers Young male dispersed quite early so it depends on the mother.
Hello Nick! Its great to see that one of her cubs (Grandson of Mashaba!) is going to make it through to independence. Hope you see him this June when we are back at Londolozi! Can’t wait!
He should be around for your guys visit! We will be tracking them down!
Hi Nick, thanks for the update on the Nkoveni and her male cub, growing up so fast and it is nearly time for him to going on his own. Mom Nkoveni has paved the way for him and even showing him further space for his own territory. I wonder what his name is going to be. He is going to be a stunning male leopard just like the Ntomi male is.
What great pics showing their personalities! Love it!
Interesting behavior, Nick. But as she encroaches in Nhlanguleni’s territory, that begs the question – what’s happen with Nhlanguleni? Is she fully recovered from her injury of some months back? Is she doing ok?
The Nhlanguleni female will feel some pressure from The Nkoveni Female as she encroaches more. but their territories will change over time. Nhlanguleni is doing fine.
Thanks for the recap on Nkoveni and her almost adult son. Since my visit end of March, her son looks like he’s grown, definitely her size if perhaps a bit larger which bodes well for him when he begins his independent journey. I enjoyed all your accompanying images, but my favorite is her son leaping from the Marula tree on one side whilst his mother was intent descending Ali g the other side, paying no attention to him.
As she expands her territory to the west and north, it will be interesting to see if her daughter Xinkhova moves a bit further north. Thanks for including the map highlighting the females’ territories as it is easier to visualize their movements.
Thanks for the comment Denise, He is looking very good and moving around on his own more. I think Xinkhova is happy occupying Plaque rock Females old territory. Great to see more relative females sharing boundaries near camp. this will bode for better sightings in the future.