We have a lot of exciting news to reveal to you this week. Firstly, the Xinzele Female has given birth to another litter of cubs in the same den that she used last time. Nestled in a cluster of boulders in the northern reaches of the reserve she keeps two tiny little cubs.
A few mornings later we set off on a mission to try to find some lions that had been calling all night. As we get into the area where we think the lions maybe we find a herd of elephants. While spending some time with them we hear a male lion call very close by. Sure enough one of the Ndzhenga Males walks around the corner and we stay with him for a while as he marches straight down the road.
Upon leaving him, we hear an amazingly exciting update from Kirst that she had found the Ndzanzeni Female. Being nearby we go and join Kirst, and to our excitement, we see a milk pouch and suckle marks on the belly of the Ndzandzeni Female.
Enjoy this Week’s Virtual Safari…
A small female often found in NW Marthly. Similar spot pattern to her mother the Ingrid Dam Female.
This female is a success story all in herself, being born as a single cub to the Riverbank 3:3 female in early 2012.
To view the YouTube link, click here.
Great news that you have at least three different litters of leopard cubs, maybe even four. Wow!
I loved the scenes with those young elephants, big brother or cousin pushing around the babies. How cute. Elephants are always great to watch.
And very impressive: this beautiful male lion calling for his brothers or pride. It is always so exciting if one sits on a car and such a lion passes close by. Those eyes… I wonder what is going on in his mind while he passes car.
Thank you so much, Christa. It is very exciting news that there are potentially four leopards with cubs on Londolozi.
I also wonder what is going through his mind as he looks into your eyes while walking past the vehicle.
Well done Shadrack for finding Xinzele’s den! Roughly how old were her previous cubs when they were last seen? I’m sure there will be a lot of competition to see who can find Ndzanzeni’s den now.
It was really interesting to see the reaction of the ellies when they heard the Ndzhenga male calling – even the very young ones seemed to recognise it as a potential threat to them.
Thank you so much, Suzanne. The cubs were about 2 months old when they were presumed to have been killed by another young nomadic male leopard.
Wow Sean that was awesome to see the tiny cubs of the Xinzele female. So very appreciative to have the opportunity to see this on video. Now the Ndzanzeni female has cubs and the Mashaba female as well, truly it is absolutely amazing the Londolozi leopards are living up to their presence. The Ndhzenga male lion is so stunning and he walked by so close.
Thank you so much, Valmai. It is very exciting times at Londolozi currently.
How exciting to learn that two more leopards have given birth – Xinzele and Ndzanzeni! Goodness, if at least one is raised from each female, that’s 4 more leopards to add to the reserve. I know the difficulties that lie ahead for each of them, choosing dens carefully, finding food and watching out for other prey such as hyenas, wild dogs and the lions. Fingers crossed!!
By the way, please pass along my congratulations to Shadrack on becoming a guide after his years as a tracker. He’s a special member of the Londolozi team and I count him as one of my special friends there. Thank you for today’s special armchair safari, showcasing the adorable cubs of Xinzele.
Thank you so much, Denise. It is such exciting news that we could potenitally have a few more leopards on the reserve. I will pass on your wishes to Shadrack.
Fantastic Virtual Safari! Thanks for giving us a taste of the safari life! We loved it!
Thank you so much, Darlene.
More leopard cubs… Great news! Wonderful! Are the Ndzenga males still after the lionesses with cubs?
Yes, more leopard cubs. I wouldn’t say they are actively searching for the lionesses that still have cubs. But if they did come across them they would likely kill the cubs.