This week’s Virtual Safari offers a rich stream of predator sightings—some rare, some dramatic, and all deeply captivating.
We begin with a long-awaited view of the Ngungwe Female’s remaining cub. Sadly, she has lost one of her cubs since we last saw her, and the surviving youngster is understandably nervous, having had very little exposure to vehicles so far. Still, we were treated to a special sighting of a carcass hoisted high in a marula tree directly opposite Varty Camp, and the mother perched above, resting.
While we hoped she might descend or call her cub, a call crackled over the radio of two female leopards chasing after each other. We rushed over and arrived just in time to witness the Xinzele Female pushing the Makomsava Female back east. It’s unusual to see Makomsava this far south, which may suggest she’s in search of a male to mate with.
That afternoon, we returned to Ngungwe and finally saw the cub feeding in the tree before joining its mother on a nearby mound. It was a privilege to spend quiet time with such a shy little leopard, and we hope continued sightings will ease its nerves and aid in the habituation process.
From there, we catch a glimpse of two Kambula Males crossing the Sand River near Finfoot—a scene as iconic as it is powerful.
And to round things off, the deep southeast echoes with roaring. Following the sound, we find the Styx Male marching boldly through Ndzhenga territory, scent-marking and proclaiming his presence. A risky move, and one that could land him in some trouble in the weeks ahead.
Enjoy this week’s Virtual Safari…
The only surviving cub of the Nanga female, currently territorial northern Marthly. Currently denning north of boundary
Born 2020 during lockdown to Piccadilly Female. Once skittish, now confident mother denning her first litter in Marthly's rocky terrain.
Northern territory specialist born 2017. Successfully raised the Thumbela Female while establishing dominance in NW Marthly's dramatic lands
To Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, click here.
I look forward to your weekly videos. They are the next best thing to actually being there(it’s on my bucket list).
Wow, very impressive this roaring Styx lion.
Hi Sean, the Xinzele female wasn’t in the news for a while, I’m glad to hear that she “met” with the Makomsava female without serious consequences. Any news on the Thumbela female? I particularly liked her! So sad that the Ngungwe female lost a cub… this little one has all reasons to be skittish! Who knows, maybe the Styx male was so confident because the previous time he already had a skirmish contrast against the Ndzenga males, are they his father’s? He’s a beautiful young male…. looks like a Sphynx really handsome! A superb video full of atmosphere
Dear Sean, that is a great noise, amazing. Thanks for sharing
Hi Sean, this young Styx male lion is very brave and has tooooo much confidence which is going to get him into trouble. The Ndhzenga Males will drive him out or kill him, which will be a pity. He is a stunning young male. The Ngungwe female and her little cub was a surprise as we haven’t seen them as late. Hope the little cub will get used to the vehicles and allow you to take more stunning photo’s of them. It is a pity she lost one cub. Well know the Makomsava female is looking for trouble coming over to the Xinzele territory.. let’s hope she stays where she is to avoid any fights with the Xinzele female. I am sure there will be a male to mate with there in her nearby area. The Kambula coalition is of 4 is a coalition to be reckoned with, they are huge and stunning males. Styx must stay away from them.
There’s nothing like leopards and lion sightings to begin a Sunday morning, especially when there’s a young male lion doing his best to sound as though he’s in charge, although his roar is a bit wobbly at times. It’s a shame that Ngungwe has lost one of her cubs but she’ll have a better chance of raising one as evidenced by other mothers. Inasmuch as that cub is so skittish, she must have kept it hidden from everyone since your earlier video. I noted that as Xinzele moved away from the altercation, she verbally let anyone in hearing range that she was there.
The Kambula’s, as I assume they have been officially named, look great but I wonder how long it will take them to step into their father’s legacy by taking over a pride. Meanwhile, the Styx male is boldly cruising through dangerous territory – we’ll see how long that lasts as two against one usually means disaster. And so we will continue to wait and see….
Makomsava seen not all that far from where she was born. I wish she “visited” more often.
What is chance of the Styx, Talamati & Nkuhuma joining up to form a coalition? .. Would be interesting.
Sean, Thanks for the great post and we are practicing our lion roars on our puppy! 🤣 We think the Styx male will have quite a challenge if he runs into that coalition! It was great to see you on our recent visit – our group had a fabulous experience and Londolozi was shining brightly! We also found Mashaba and we had a great massage from Sam too! Perfect trip!