It was a hot September afternoon at Londolozi, and a report of a leopard with a kill in a tree made our afternoon game drive decision a simple one. Especially since the leopard in question was the Hlambela Male, an occasional visitor who had become one of my favourites. His calm nature, patience when hunting and particular appetite for warthogs had given me plenty to enjoy in previous sightings. Now, with another warthog kill reported, I was excited to show my guests a little bit more about him.
The Hlambela male waiting patiently on a termite mound for a warthog to surface.
An impressive male, appearing as a rising force in the north. Making a name for himself by pushing other males out.
We took our time getting to the scene, stopping on some open crests and at the beautiful Ximpalapala koppie along the way. When we finally arrived at the last location, we first spotted the hoisted warthog (the Hlambela Male’s signature meal), then found the male leopard lying in the grass nearby. Just as we settled into a decent view, he stood up and walked straight towards us. I reassured my guests as he approached, although I hadn’t expected his chosen resting place to be right behind our rear tyre! As I glanced over my shoulder, I saw that one guest had shuffled across to the other side of the vehicle, away from the leopard. She was still brave enough to reach her phone out over the railing to capture his beautiful spots!
The Hlambela Male showing off his relaxed attitude
With the Hlambela Male resting beneath us, moving the vehicle was no longer an option. For a few moments, I wasn’t quite sure what our next move would be. His next move, however, came suddenly.
He shot out from beside the vehicle and raced up the tree towards his kill as a hyena appeared from out of the bushes. Once we could move, we found a good spot to watch the leopard feed high out of the hyena’s reach. The crunch of bones carried down from the branches as he worked at the warthog carcass.
The Hlambela Male in his natural element.
We were all fixated on the scene above us when tracker Trevor shouted from behind:
“Lion! Lion! Lion! Tsalala! Tsalala!”
I swivelled around. Not ten metres away, the famous Tsalala Lioness was looking straight past our vehicle and up into the tree.
She walked to the tree’s base and began circling slowly, scanning the branches above her. Living alone, this wiry, resilient female has adapted her hunting and movements in ways that sometimes seem almost leopard-like. A meal in a tree was clearly worth investigating. “She might try to climb,” I thought to myself. But would she actually attempt to steal it? And if she did, what would Hlambela do? Thousands of possibilities ran through my head. The lioness picked her route and began to climb awkwardly. The outcome was up to her.
Above her, Hlambela’s deep growl reverberated through the tree. He gripped the carcass and quickly pulled it higher into the smaller branches of the jackalberry. We watched in silence as she clambered upwards. Would he have to abandon the kill? Could he climb higher? For a moment, I wondered whether we were about to witness a physical confrontation between them.
Then the lioness paused. Hlambela had moved onto a different fork, where the branches were thinner. The Tsalala Female remained on the stronger fork of the tree, looking up at him and the warthog. With the action on hold, I quietly pointed out that following him would mean trusting smaller branches with her considerably greater weight. She could try to climb higher, or she could give up. We waited in suspense as she appeared to consider her options.
Eventually, she began making her way back down. Once on the ground, she moved off towards the river, leaving Hlambela in the canopy above us. For the Hlambela Male, this hard-earned meal was now his to keep. We spent a few more moments with him in the tree, allowing our heart rates to return to normal before leaving for a cool drink and a chance to talk over a story we would keep telling for years to come.
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