There comes a moment in every young leopard’s life when the protection of their mother starts to fade, and they begin to face the wilderness by themselves. In a young leopard’s life, this is both a risky and exciting opportunity.

While watching the Nkoveni Young Male not share any of the impala carcass that his mother made the other day, got me thinking that it was almost time not only for him and the Three Rivers Young Female to become independent.

Nkoveni Young Male, is not willing to share an impala kill.

Raised in neighbouring territories, both are quickly reaching the point of independence, and although it’s not a quick process, I believe we will witness them both reach this point in the next few months. Although they may reach this point at similar times, their destinies are totally different.

The Three Rivers Female with the Young Female as a cub.

The Step into Solitude

Typically, male leopard cubs will stay with their mothers slightly longer than the female cubs, but independence will take place somewhere between 16-24 months of age. During this time, they learn critical life lessons from observing their mother’s behaviour. Things like stalking, hunting, climbing and avoiding threats come from watching their mothers and being inquisitive.

The older they get, their mother begins to leave them for longer periods, preparing them for a life of solitude. While left for longer periods, young leopards start to get more and more comfortable being by themselves. Eventually, the bond between mother and cub fades, and the young leopard is left to fend for itself. This shift is the beginning of independence.

Life as a solitary, newly independent leopard is filled with many trials and tribulations.

A female’s strategy for independence

For female leopards, the path to independence can be smoother and offers a familiar advantage over that of a male. If conditions are favourable, they have the opportunity to establish a territory within or on the periphery of their mother’s range, depending on pressures from other females in the area.

The Three Rivers Young Female watching an impala move towards a waterhole.

In the case of the Three Rivers Young Female, we are closely observing her next move. Although still reliant on her mother, the interactions between the two have definitely slowed down. Only being seen around shared kills, there is certainly a feeling of less physical affection between them. The Three Rivers Female has been seen moving greater distances over the past weeks, possibly looking to expand her territory before she cedes some of her territory to the young female.

If this is the case, we could watch the young female establish herself in the area where she was raised. Only time will tell.

The journey for the Nkoveni Young Male will be very different.

A Male’s Reality into Independence

A male leopard’s move to independence more often than not means leaving all familiarities behind. As they begin to mature, the pressures from dominant males, often their fathers, force them to disperse. Although this isn’t an immediate dispersal as they become independent, it certainly happens shortly after, depending on the external pressures.

Once they begin to disperse, they roam great distances without a fixed territory. During this nomadic stage of their life, they face tremendous risk. Having to avoid other dominant male leopards, they are constantly on the move until they find a vacant territory or reach an age where they believe they can fight for territory. They will often only reach this stage between four and six years old.

We have already begun to see this with the Nkoveni Young Male. Although he still moves through his mother’s territory, we are observing him push further afield. Unfortunately, his future may be far from Londolozi. Although this is still some time away and he won’t disappear just yet, he is certainly entering into a very interesting time of his life.

Over the next year, things will change for both these young leopards. It will be extremely interesting to watch.

The Three Rivers Young Female and Nkoveni Young Male illustrate the differing pressures young male and female leopards face when stepping into independence. One has the opportunity to remain rooted in a territory that she is familiar with, and the other may have to disappear into the unknown. Watching what will happen to these two young leopards over the next year will be extremely interesting, something I am very excited to witness.