There are certain places at Londolozi that seem to collect stories. Ximpalapala Koppie is one of them.
Rising from the surrounding landscape in a series of enormous granite boulders, the koppie has an almost magnetic quality. It catches the morning light, holds the warmth of the afternoon sun and, perhaps most importantly, provides a vantage point from which the surrounding wilderness can be surveyed. Over the years it has become a familiar landmark to us, but every now and then it reveals another layer to its story. On two separate occasions recently, I found myself sitting beneath these granite boulders, watching two very different leopards use the same landscape in very different ways.
The first was the Hlambela Male.
Personally, this could have been one of my greatest leopard sightings to date. The Hlambela Male was lying on the granite boulders of Ximpalapala Koppie in the soft glow of the afternoon sunlight.
An impressive male, appearing as a rising force in the north. Making a name for himself by pushing other males out.
It was one of those afternoons when everything seemed to be working in favour of photography. The sun was beginning its slow descent towards the horizon, casting that rich, warm light across the landscape that photographers spend hours hoping for. And there he was, stretched across the granite boulders of Ximpalapala Koppie. The afternoon light caught every detail of his coat. His rosettes seemed to deepen in colour, his whiskers stood out against the stone and, for a while, he simply lay there, completely at ease.
There is something different about watching an established male leopard. They carry themselves with a certain confidence, much of which comes from the fact that their lives are largely dictated by territory. A male’s world is a constantly shifting map of scent, boundaries and neighbouring males. He needs to know what is happening within his territory and, perhaps even more importantly, who else is moving through it.
The raised elevation of the boulders gives leopards a great vantage point from which to survey their surroundings. Shortly after this picture was taken, he stretched his limbs and began rasping, sending out a clear message.
The Hlambela Male has increasingly established himself in this northern section of Londolozi, and his presence is often announced before he is seen. The unmistakable rasping call of a male leopard travelling through the night or early morning is one of those sounds that immediately changes the atmosphere of a game drive. Rasping is not simply a call into the darkness. It is part of the conversation between territorial males, a way of advertising presence and reinforcing ownership. Add scent marking and regular patrols to the equation and the landscape becomes a network of invisible boundaries that we can only begin to understand.
And this is where the story becomes particularly interesting. The Hlambela Male is widely suspected to be the father of the Xinzele Female’s recent litter. We cannot know this with absolute certainty, of course, but the overlap between their territories and his established presence around Ximpalapala Koppie make him the most likely candidate.
A day later, I found myself back at the same koppie, this time with a very different leopard.
The tail of the Xinzele Female as she crept elegantly between the thick brush and the granite boulders, searching and investigating the cracks and crevices for a potential den site.
A stunning female found in the north. Successfully raised the Thumbela Female while establishing dominance in NW Marthly.
The Xinzele Female was moving through the granite boulders, purposeful in every step. Unlike the relaxed male I had watched the day before, she appeared to have a job to do. She paused frequently to scent mark, investigating cracks, crevices and various points around the koppie before continuing on. At times she would disappear between the boulders, only to emerge moments later and continue her careful inspection. Watching her, I was reminded that when we see a leopard moving through a landscape, there is almost always more happening than meets the eye.
For the Xinzele Female, Ximpalapala Koppie offers a remarkable combination of advantages. The granite boulders create numerous deep cracks and sheltered recesses that provide protection from the elements and, importantly, concealment from potential threats. The elevated position allows her to survey the surrounding area, while the rocky terrain provides numerous escape routes should she ever need them. For a mother with a young litter, these qualities become even more valuable. Her behaviour suggested she was actively assessing the area, searching among the boulders and repeatedly returning to particular sections. To me it felt less like a leopard simply moving through her territory and more like an animal carefully evaluating a nursery.
And perhaps that is what makes Ximpalapala Koppie so fascinating. The same rocks that gave the Hlambela Male a magnificent afternoon throne may now be giving the Xinzele Female something far more important: security for the next generation.
It is difficult to see in this photograph, but if you look closely, you can make out a prominent milk pouch in front of her hind legs, a clear sign that she is producing milk for young. Very exciting news!
Standing there, watching her scent mark and weave between the boulders, I found myself wondering how many times these same rocks have witnessed the beginning of leopard stories. How many cubs have been hidden in these crevices? How many territorial disputes have played out around their edges? How many generations of leopards have used this koppie as a lookout, a resting place or a refuge? We often think of territory as something belonging to an animal, but perhaps it is equally true that animals become part of the story of a place.
The Hlambela Male and Xinzele Female may be separated by their roles within the leopard world, yet both are now intimately connected to Ximpalapala Koppie. One announcing his presence and reinforcing his claim, the other quietly preparing for what may be one of the most important chapters of her life. And somewhere amongst those ancient granite boulders, out of sight and carefully protected, another story may already be unfolding.
Hi LGR. That was such a hugely interesting blog you put up about Ximpalapala Koppies over there. I do know for a fact that whilst you’ve mentioned 2 different territorial leopards in the blog, the much loved Tsalala lioness was also suspected of using those very Koppies at the start of the year, when she was either heavily pregnant or lactating, and a few weeks later, she gave birth to 4 beautiful cubs who she sired with the 2 large Gajima males after she mated with them for about 4 or 5 days in a row nonstop towards the end of last year. But she very sadly never got to raise those 4 tiny cubs who later turned out to be 3 boys and 1 girl, all the way to independence and even harder adulthood unfortunately, as they were all killed by the 2 Plains Camp males back in June at just 3 months old. I hope she will soon be mating yet again very soon one day, and hopefully she’ll have some much better luck with raising the next litter far more successfully. Like you, I’m desperately keen for her to rebuild her birth pride upto a decent size to continue it’s existence in several years time when she’s no longer around. So it is and will be fingers crossed for her.
But those koppies will make a ideal and perfectly safe haven for lion and leopard cubs to be born on and in the many hundreds and hundreds of big enough nooks and crannies that a either heavily pregnant mother lioness or leopard to store their cubs in and away safely. I hope they won’t forget where the cubs are, or the cubs might start wondering about.
Any lionesses and female leopards can or could use the koppies as perfect and ideal densites there, and as long as the huge boulders have very tall and shady trees and thick bushes covering some bits of them, then it’ll look like the perfect paradise as long as both of those big cats don’t keep their cubs in one place for to long, while they’re out hunting.
I’m not so sure if the Xinzele female is lactating or just about on the verge of giving birth to her next new litter now, at 9 years old. And I’ve got no idea how many cubs she’s raised to independence and adulthood yet either. If you suspect the good sized Hlambela male is the biological father of the Xinzele female’s new litter of cubs, then all we can do is just hope and you keep a constant eye on the koppies so that we can be updated as and when there’s any news to report on her. Can’t we? Hopefully there will be a good update on her in the next couple of weeks or so to come so that we know if she’s given birth to new cubs or not.
We can’t tell what gender the boulders on Ximpalapala Koppies are as it’ll be totally impossible to tell what they are, but they do & will make a great densite and vantage point to spot danger and prey. I have got no idea how many years the big Ximpalapala Koppies has been standing there for altogether in total as of yet. If that could be researched and looked up and be mentioned in a new blog as well as where the large koppes got their ownname from, then that will be be ever so very interesting to know indeed. They so surely must at least roughly one hundred or more years old there by now.
Hope to hear from you shortly.
Robert 24.9.26
Hi Nic, love your story on the Koppie. So many places for Xinzele to make her den and the Hlambela male is nearby to keep the predators away. Hopefully he is the leopard that she mated with, otherwise he will kill her cubs. Laying on top of the Boulder is such an advantage point for both of them to relax and at the same time to
check for any threats.
You are absolutely correct Valmai. It is a fantastic vantage point for the predators to surveil their surroundings.
Hi Nic, this is something to be excited for! She is a fascinating lady, I’ve always admired her class and beauty. He’s also a stunner and at his age he may definitely claim a territory for himself. I look forward to recruiting news about the cubs and their parents… simply elated!
Thanks Francesca, we too are also elated by the prospect of a potential den site around the Koppie. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on any updates.
Whenever I see the Ximpalapala Koppie, I immediately think of the time I spent there with Tsalala and her mother a few years ago as well as time spent with the Flat Rock male before he moved further northeast. The Koppie hasn’t changed over the years but some of its well-known residents have disappeared, replaced by new faces. Xinzele has raised a daughter, Thumbela, in this area and hopefully she will be successful once again. I appreciate that you and your colleagues keep us up to date on what’s happening in the north, sharing the secrets as they’re revealed.
Thank you Denise. We’ll continue to update you on any future developments in and around the Koppie. It truly is a remarkable feature of Londolozi.
This Koppie is also one of my favourite places of Londolozi and will always be connected with the fond memories of the Tsalala lioness and he mother.
Now the Xinzele Female will hopefully raise her cubs there. A wonderful den for them. And if the Hlambela Male is their father, hopefully also a safe one. Good luck to her.
Thank you Christa. Hopefully we can report back soon with some exciting news.
Lovely story nicely told, Nic. I always love spending time around the koppie, visually searching and squinting and hoping! I’ve yet to be as lucky as you with these finds, though, a matter of right time, right place I guess. I’ll keep searching!
Absolutely Mary Beth. Not every drive around the Koppie is fruitful, and sometimes you need to be in the right place at the right time, such is the way of the bush. Looking forward to more fantastic sightings around the Koppie in the not-to-distant future. Keep well.
Nic, Thanks so much for a great story about one of our most special places at Londolozi. We have had so many amazing experiences there – hiking to the top – watching the sunrises – watching the sunsets – seeing leopards and lions using Ximpalapala as a viewing point, resting spot, or just a safe place to protect cubs! We can’t wait to return!
Hi Michael and Terri. Thank you for the comments on Ximpalapala Koppie. It is indeed an incredible feature of Londolozi, and holds many happy memories and fantastic sightings for us all. We can’t wait to welcome you both back. Keep well and be in touch soon.
Nic