On the far western reaches of Londolozi, we came across a sighting that was both exciting and thought-provoking. The Nkuwa Female and the Thamba Male, mating.
We don’t see the Nkuwa Female much anymore. Over the last year, she’s shifted her movements westward, deeper into the Thamba Male’s territory and further from the areas where we used to find her regularly. It’s always a bit disappointing when a familiar leopard moves beyond our regular traversing area, but that’s simply how leopard territories work.
The impressive Thamba Male, who is dominant over the central regions of Singita. Could we begin to see him push further East into the Western parts of Londolozi?
The stunning Nkuwa Female, daughter of the Nhlanguleni Female. With the Nhlanguleni Female steadily ageing, is there a chance that the Nkuwa female returns to take over her natal territory?
Raised as an intact litter, first in 7 years, who has now made her own history by raising two males to independence as an intact litter.
So after hearing Service Nkuna’s voice crackle over the radio to say, “There are two leopards on the boundary”, our hearts began to race. It was a stark reminder that it takes a village to create the magic that Londolozi has to offer. Without Service driving that route as he was returning to the lodge with some other staff members, we would not have even known about this interaction. Initially, we thought it could only be the Nkuwa Female and her one-year-old male cub; however, we were quite surprised to find the Nkuwa Female lying beside the Thamba Male, the father of her current one-year-old male cub. It certainly raised some interesting questions.
An image of the Nkuwa Female and her young male cub that I managed to take a few months ago on a visit to our neighbours’ reserve.
We watched them for some time as they rested beside the road until the Nkuwa Female began to try entice the Thamba Male to mate. Leopard mating behaviour is unmistakable—the low growls, the brief but intense copulations, the way they interact with a mix of aggression and familiarity. Observing mating Leopards has to be one of my favourite sightings to see whilst on safari.
Lordosis refers to the intricate ritual the female will perform to entice a male to mate with her. A dance, if you will. She will lower her front end and raise her hindquarters as she wraps her tail around the head of the male a number of times before the male will eventually give in.
It is always so fascinating to observe mating leopards from the side, as it gives such a clear picture of the disparity in size between the females and the males, who are twice as big.
But the sighting also made us think: what about her cub?
The Nkuwa Young Male is believed to be alive and well. Sightings of him are rare, but when we do get the privilege ofseeing this growing young male, it is always special.
At just over a year old, her young male is still dependent on her for food and guidance. He’s not yet ready to fend for himself or strike out on his own. So seeing her actively mating was intriguing. What does this mean for her cub’s immediate future?
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It turns out this behaviour isn’t as unusual as we might think. Female leopards have been documented mating while still raising older cubs, though the reasons aren’t entirely clear. One theory is that it’s a way of keeping the male invested, maintaining his tolerance and potentially securing protection for future litters. It could also simply be opportunistic timing based on her reproductive cycle rather than her cub’s developmental stage. The truth is, there’s still a lot we don’t fully understand about these situations.
When mating, the males will always bite down on the neck of the female. This is because it can be painful for her when he dismounts and will often act out with aggression towards the male.
This aggression often involves turning around to swipe at the male.
Knowing what is likely to follow, the Male tries to react quickly to avoid the swiping claws of the Female.
A few days after our sighting, we heard that our neighbours in Singita had found both her and the cub. He’s still out there, still very much part of her life. This was reassuring to know—she’s managing to balance caring for her current cub while also mating, which speaks to the complexity of leopard behaviour.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Will she continue to provide for him if this mating results in a new litter? How long will he remain with her? These are questions we’ll only be able to answer by continuing to follow their story.
The unbreakable bond between a mother and a cub is truly something so special!
For now, we’re grateful to have seen the Nkuwa Female again after quite some time, even if it was on the edge of Londolozi’s reaches. She looked healthy and confident, clearly comfortable in her western territory with the Thamba Male. And knowing her cub is still doing well adds another layer to an already fascinating story.
We’ll keep following their movements when we can and update you as we learn more.
Very interesting! This reminds me of the Nanga Female’s first litters, when she mated and subsequently produced another litter when her surviving male cub was just under a year of age. He managed to survive on his own before he disappeared (no one is sure whether he dispersed or suffered an untimely demise). Reece, I have noted the Nkuwa Female mating with both Thamba and the Ntomi Male prior to the birth of this cub. Has his paternity been confirmed by the genetic testing?
Hi Reece, I’m so intrigued by this story! The Nhlanguleni female is a top beauty master of elegance, ans her daughter as well. The cub is just spectacular. His very dark rosettes are magnificent. Have you ever heard of a possible older son growing up with very young cubs? He’s certainly in need of care for more months…. this is one of the nature’s marvel that makes you think about for a long while… the Thamba male looks great. A completely different family and bloodline it seems…
Thanks for the good news on the Nkuwa Female and her cub, Reece. This is really intriguing.
I am looking forward to hearing more about the two of them or other the trio: cub and parents and maybe a new litter as well. Very exciting
It is good to learn that Nkuwa’s cub is doing well and presently on his way to independence as long as she continues to provide for him – nutritionally and educationally. The fact that she was seen mating with her cub’s father is curious, given his age, but perhaps it’s an insurance policy for the two of them. Regardless, it’s great to see her and your update is appreciated.
Hi Reece, well this is good news that she is mating with the Thamba male. Although her son is a year old. This is very interesting to witness this situation of her mating and still having a 1 year old male cub. Usually the male cubs stay with their mother for 2 years and go into independence. This little cub is really cute and I hope he will make it to adulthood.
Having seen Nkuwa herself as a cub along with her sister, I’m pleased to see her doing well both raising a cub and mating again. We saw her mating with the Thamba male in October 2024 which apparently resulted in the young male cub; glad to know he’s still alive and well. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes of this bout of mating.