The Nkuwa Female is a leopard very well known for her beauty and supremely relaxed nature around vehicles. Over the years I have spent many wonderful, undisturbed hours in her presence.
A couple of years ago, we were gifted with a long spell of sightings when she was raising two male cubs. Both went on to reach independence, which, as we know, is a significant milestone in the life of a young leopard. As is the case with young males, they have now dispersed and their current whereabouts are unknown.
The occasional sighting of one of them offers a reminder of that past chapter, but we’ve accepted that they’ve faded into the tapestry of the wilderness well beyond the extent of our traversing area.
This is the 2:2 Nkuwa Young Male. He is slightly bigger than his brother and more relaxed around vehicles. Here he fixes his eyes on a steenbok wandering through a grove of bushwillows.
The Nkuwa Female and her two male cubs from her previous litter.
Now, a new chapter begins.
We’re really excited to share that the Nkuwa Female has given birth to her next litter. Two new cubs, believed to have been born in early March. At just over three months old, they are still small and still incredibly vulnerable. But they’ve already begun to explore the world beyond the safety of their den, and we have been among the lucky few to witness them.
My first glimpse of one of her new cubs as it peers out from behind the fallen trunk of a dead marula tree.
The area she’s chosen to keep them is ideal. It is based around a long ridge of rocky outcrops and large boulders just to the south of the Sand River. The broken terrain offers the perfect place for leopard cubs to be denned. In recent years, the Nkuwa Female has pushed further westward, and although her core range now lies mostly within our western neighbours, she has still occasionally been seen very close to western Sparta.
The Nkuwa Female sits high up along a ridge of rocky outcrops. She keeps a watchful eye on a hyena that was milling about in the valley below. Her cubs are safely hidden away.
Just over a week ago, we enjoyed an unforgettable sighting of the three of them. She and her cubs had just finished a kill and were making their way back towards their den. We were able to follow them for about 1km before it got too densely wooded to keep up with them.
This was an incredibly special sighting for me because it was also the first time I was able to witness a mother leopard carry her cub. The Nkuwa Female was walking down a dirt track toward where I had positioned our vehicle, and by pure chance, she ended up stopping to sit on her haunches right beside us.
One of the little cubs cautiously crept up to where she was and peered out from underneath her to look at us. Perhaps in that moment, the mother could sense a degree of uncertainty from the cub and what I can only guess was an act of reassurance, she began to pick up the cub. The safest place a small leopard cub knows is between its mother’s jaws – the same jaws and teeth that have written the final chapter for many other souls.
This sighting will definitely go down as one of my greatest highlights as a Londolozi Ranger. It has taken me thousands of hours out in the wild to capture such a moment.
We were not able to tell the sexes of the cubs at this stage based on what we saw. True to typical leopard nature, however, one of the cubs showed a little more confidence, curious about the vehicle and peering at us with wide eyes, while the other remained cautious and chose to stay mostly hidden. With time, I am quite certain that both will grow to be as relaxed as their mother.
View this post on Instagram
We can only hope that, as the cubs gain size and confidence and begin to explore the greater reaches of their mother’s territory as she starts taking them farther afield, that we’ll have more opportunities to view them in the near future.
Looking forward to seeing the trio in September. Here’s hoping they all stay safe.
What a lovely surprise! It made my day! She’s gorgeous, different from other leopards (I noticed there’s no description of her history) I remember well that she brought two male cubs to independence, what a success! It’s a pity that they are no traceable anymore, but this is part of a male leopard nature, dispersal. Thank you for this intimate and absolutely touching moment!
Matt, I saw your video footage yesterday in the weekly virtual safari…..how lucky you and your guests were to have such a rare and incredible sighting!
I know her sister Finfoot moved off Londolozi a long time ago, but does anyone know if she’s still alive and well?
Great viewing and great news!
All look healthy & beautiful…
Looking forward to their adventures
May they all be happy ones!!!
It was terrific to read your update on Nkuwa, one of my favorite leopards, and learn that she has two new cubs to raise. The photos attached illustrate just how beautiful she is, as well as a view of one of her independent sons, concluding with your images and video of her new litter. I can only imagine your awe and excitement when Nkuwa picked up her cub and walked away from your vehicle- a holy grail of sightings for anyone, especially a ranger who has spent countless hours in the bush!
I share your excitement in watching her carry one of the cubs–a dream sighting! Let’s hope her mothering success continues.
Hi Matt, oh these little cubs are absolutely gorgeous. So excited to see mom and cubs together. Mom carrying her cub in her jaws is so special. Thanks for these amazing photos. Please keep us posted and let us know the sex of the two cubs.
The photos and the video of this beautiful female and her young cubs are a treasure. Thanks for sharing this wonderful encounter, Matt.
I hope that she might be as lucky with her new litter as she was with her last one. Such beautiful leopard boys, she had.
What a fun blog – two new leopard cubs! I remember seeing Nkuwa with her sister Finfoot and mom Nhlanguleni in 2018 when they were still small. Those pink noses!! I hope Nkuwa continues her success raising 2 cub litters!
Such a privilege Matt to have shared with you this beautiful morning with Skuwa and her two little ones! Best wishes to them.
Wow, Matt, they are adorable! Great find.
Eliza says “awwwwww”.