As we approach the end of yet another spectacular year in the bush, with many exciting stories and adventures to look forward to in the next, we’re also excited to follow along into a new chapter of one of the lives of the Londolozi leopards.
We’re excited to officially announce that the Three Rivers Young female will now be referred to as the Tinxiya Female.
The newly named Tinxiya Female Leopard.
Tinxiya is the local Shangaan word for ‘eyebrows’. This is a very fitting name for her, as the word itself, pronounced ‘tin-she-ya’ sounds beautiful, but it is also in reference to her unusually long eyebrow whiskers she had as a cub, and the prominent brow ridge she now shares with her father, the Maxim’s Male. This almost gives her a constant frowning appearance, just like her father.
My first ever glimpse of her as a very small cub, peering out at us from within the safety of her den which was a cavity within an ancient Zulu Milkberry tree.
Here you can see her prominent brow ridge that gives her a constant frowning appearance.
Her father, the regal Maxims Male Leopard.
She was the only surviving cub from a litter of two, born early March last year. Initially, she was a very skittish and unrelaxed cub. Though over the months, through careful consideration of the way we viewed her in those early stages and by placing sensitivity at the forefront of operating sightings of her, she has now become supremely relaxed around vehicles, which was a huge win for the Ranger and Tracker team.
She keeps a watchful eye on her mother, who was feeding on an impala carcass nearby.
As the only cub at such a young age, it was crucial for her to have many regular hours of play with her mother, the Three Rivers Female.
At 20 months old now, she is right on the cusp of independence but is still seen occasionally sharing kills with her mother. She is the Three Rivers Female’s first independent daughter, and this will also mean that she might shift territory on her own account to accommodate the Tinxiya Female needing her own space.
Mother leopards will always place their cubs’ success above their own at the stage of their independence, and would rather bear the brunt of any territorial conflict as a result of territory shift, rather than their daughters. This will ensure that the Tinxiya Female is on her best foot going forward into adulthood. Ultimately, the goal for all leopards is for their cubs to continue their legacy, long after they are gone.
This period in a young female leopard’s life is always fascinating to observe. No one can say for sure where she eventually might settle and how she will fit into the dense network of territories across the reserve. It will be interesting to see where the Three Rivers Female goes and what lies on the horizon for her. The constant state of flux in leopard territories always keeps us rangers and trackers on the edge of our seats.
Londolozi guests enjoyed a spectacular sighting of the Three Rivers Female and the Tinxiya Female as they played and chased each other about.
At the moment, her future territory remains uncertain, as she will need to navigate a very competitive landscape with pressure from the Nkoveni, Xinkhova, Ximungwe and Ndzanzeni Females who are nearby.
The Tinxiya Female definitely inherited more of her father’s genes as she is already larger than her mother, who will be 10 years old next year.
However, we are absolutely thrilled to have yet another independent female leopard on the reserve, and it truly has been a great privilege to have shared in some of the many magical sightings this mother and daughter duo have provided us with over the past year and a half. We’re looking forward to providing more updates on her progression through adulthood in the coming months.
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on Introducing the Tinxiya Female Leopard