Following on from a previous blog I wrote about The Joys of Tracking – today I’m going to share with you a very exciting tracking experience that Joy and I shared with a recent set of guests staying at Pioneer Camp. They had been with us for two nights already and the bush had provided us with amazing moments. However, the elusive and secretive leopard was still on our ‘too see’ list. A special privilege of visiting Londolozi is the high possibility of seeing a leopard during your stay. Although this is never guaranteed, I was sure that this particular afternoon would be the game drive where our patience would pay off. But what we were about to encounter was really unexpected, to say the least.
Something we were hoping to see at some point during the course of the guests’ stay. Seeing a leopard in the wild is always going to be very special. Here the Three Rivers Young Male descends a tamboti tree late in the afternoon.
Setting off on the game drive, we had the intention of looking for anything with a set of whiskers and rosettes. We had work to do! It was an exceptionally warm winter’s day without a cloud in the sky and there had been no stable guaranteed leopard sightings from the morning game drive. Not long after leaving camp, Joy enthusiastically stuck out his right hand instructing me to come to a halt. This normally means something has caught his eye on the road in front of him. We both hopped off the vehicle to inspect what he had seen.
“A drag mark and a leopard track” Joy whispered to me with much delight.
Once a kill has been successfully made, a leopard will feed on the rump first and then remove the stomach contents of the prey. This lightens the load before they then drag it to a nearby thicket or hoist it into a suitable tree.
We returned to the vehicle to explain the discovery to our guests. With much excitement, we described the potential scenario that was playing out in front of us. Joy explained to us that it was unusual for a leopard to drag a kill a far distance, especially given the fact that there were a number of suitable trees to hoist the kill within a 50m radius of the drag mark. He went on to explain that the tracks were very fresh and the leopard must have been in the area in the last couple of hours. There was a fairly deep and well-covered dry riverbed about 100m off the road and this is where Joy suspected she had aimed to hide the kill.
Joy and I insisted on following the drag mark on foot to see exactly where it lead to. For a period the drag mark went along the road and then cut off and went through a dense thicket down towards the riverbed. Joy’s prediction was spot on as the tracks disappeared off the edge of the bank. We carefully scanned the riverbed and slowly searched the thick bushes while listening out for any movements in the grass.
Initially skittish she spent a lot of time in the Sand River, now relaxed she makes up the majority of leopard viewing west of camp.
We could feel she was close, concealed by the thick vegetation she was probably watching our every move. We looked up and there she was! A pair of pensive leopard eyes locked on ours. Now she knew she had been seen, a split second passed before she spun around and disappeared downstream leaving the dead impala unaccompanied. Adrenaline rushing, palms sweating as the excitement of the situation overwhelmed me. When Joy and I retreated, smiles filled our faces as we high-fived each other. We had succeeded.
The Nhlanguleni Female drags her kill to a suitable area before feeding.
The guests could see the grins on our faces as we scampered back toward the vehicle. They could feel the excitement before we even mentioned a word. Now back in the driver’s seat, the next step was to manoeuvre the Land Rover down into the riverbed to get a closer look.
The Nhlanguleni Female scans her surroundings for a suitable location to stash her prized meal. She had her eyes on a Weeping Boer Bean near the side of the bank.
While we sat with her we hoped she would move the kill and possibly hoist it into a nearby tree. Our luck continued. She tried to hoist the kill a number of times into a Weeping Boer Bean tree (Schotia brachypatela) protruding from the bank but failed with every attempt as dusk began to descend. Tensions were running high as we were desperate for her to get the kill up the tree as the imminent threat of a hyena approached. Hyenas are notorious for stealing kills from leopards so we decided to give her some space and return the following morning.
Before leaving her in peace, she briefly lay down in the open for us to get a clear view. What an unforgettable sighting it was.
The Nhlanguleni Female reveals herself from a dense spikethorn thicket before lying on the sandy riverbed
When returning the following morning, all that was left were the remains of some fur which the leopard had plucked from the impala before feeding, no sign of the leopard. This just goes to show that we were in the right place at the right time. One lesson I have learnt from the bush is to embrace patience. When one allows themselves to be patient in the bush, it will provide an unforgettable experience. What moments of patience have stuck out for you when on safari at Londolozi? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Thanks for your nice commentary related to your recent experience of tracking a leopard in the hopes of finding her for your guests. I’m glad it turned out so well for your guests, although, it appeared the leopard wasn’t so lucky hoisting her kill into a tree.
I can look back on many experiences of patiently waiting for something to happen or appear, but in each case, it was totally worth the wait – especially to witness leopards mating. Continue to enjoy your special sightings and tracking successes.
Thank you Denise. Patience out in the bush can be extremely rewarding, especially with mating leopards! Although she failed to hoist the kill on this occasion, Nhlanguleni is a brilliant hunter and is doing very well.
What a thrilling game drive for not only your guest, but you and Joy as well!
Karen, is was an exciting afternoon! Thanks for the comment.
Totally worth the wait on every drive. My heart skipped a beat reading this as I recall the excitement of knowing something was ahead and just wating to see what would unfold. There is nothing like it…while there in May, my sister asked me when I called to check in is it not the same every time you go out. An emphatic no, was my answer. No two game drives are the same, and the excitement for what lies ahead is the best feeling. Thanks for the play by play. It livened up a boring day at the office in the states.
Absolute pleasure Tricia, I’m glad you enjoyed the read. You are right, no two game drives are the same out in the bush and trying to predict what will happen next is almost impossible.
Great experience for your guests. I wonder, though, whether the leopard was the one who fed on the impala or whether it was the hyenas?
When you tracked her on foot you wrote that she left the carcass unattended for some time. Wasn’t this bit harassing for her? The hyenas could have come and stolen her hard earned meal in the meantime. It is sometimes certainly a bit difficult to decide for the animal or for the guests, I guess.
Thank you for the comment, Christa. Yes she did leave the impala unattended however returned and continued feeding on it for some time. It was only after we left her for the evening and retuned the next morning did we find the kill was gone and I suspect it may have been a hyena that picked up on the scent of the impala during the night and potentially stole it from Nhlanguleni.
Hi Nick, excellent tracking with Joy once again! As a past guest and fortunate recipient of your and Joy’s safari expertise, your storytelling easily transports me back into the bush! What a magnificent leopard encounter, thanks for bringing me along on the adventure. And great photos too, good to see you are honing your photography skills. Miss you and Joy.
Hello Rob, thank you for the comment. We had a special sighting and I’m glad we could share it with you albeit from miles away. Yes, I’m loving the photography
Great adventure today following a leopard and her kill. Thanks for sharing Nick.
Watching a cheetah stalk a herd of impala and ultimately focusing on one which had separated. We waited for more than 40 minutes as it stealthily approched it then chased it directly at our vehicle–incredible burst of speed as it took the impa;a down and then summoned its 2 nearby cubs to participate in the kill and subsequent feeding.
Wow, that sounds like an incredible scene. Thanks for sharing Vin.
How amazing that you got to provide that experience for your guests. So exciting when the Ranger and tracker come back with smiles from being off the vehicle you know something amazing is going to happen!
I love the patience required when looking for a wild dogs. Maybe a call comes in and someone has spotted them … You drive to that area and of course they have scattered in the bush. You’re looking and looking and scanning and driving different roads. 10 minutes goes by and nothing. More driving and scanning. Just when you think they have eluded you again -poof they show up right around the corner. And then of course the patience required to follow them through the bush – also a great amount of foresight by the Ranger in driving to where they may end up – so much fun though!
Thank you for sharing your past experience of following the Wild Dogs! they are up there with the most exciting animals to observe and follow in the bush – if you can keep up with them, that is!
Thank you for sharing your past experience of following the Wild Dogs! they are up there with the most exciting animals to observe and follow in the bush.
Worth the wait, I’m sure. I can practically treeless the excitement you and your guests must have felt in those moments.
It was definitely worth the wait, Chelsea. It was a great moment of discovery for myself and the guests.
Nick your patience payed off with the stunning site of the Nhlanguleni female and her kill. We were in the Kruger one year at the Biyamiti camp and I sat and watched the bush otherside of the Biyamiti River. My husband said there is nothing there, but I heard impala alarming so I knew there is a predator in the bush. Next minute a leopard came out the bush, walking away and started scent marking his territory and walked out in the open and we saw him, so beautiful. My patience payed off because I sat there for 2 hours waiting, but with the best reward ever.
Thank you for sharing this story Valmai. Its a special feeling seeing any animal that has taken its time to reveal itself form the bush. Often the signs and sounds of the bush indicate the presence of a predator but not everyone has the patience of that predator. Well done for sticking it out for 2 hours!
Nick, Thanks for such an exciting post! We are surprised that the Nhlanguleni Female couldn’t tree her kill. We wonder what could have happened to the kill if there was so little left the next morning? Hyenas?
Thank you, Michael and Terri! I was also puzzled as to why she didn’t choose to hoist it in another suitable tree. Indeed, a hyena stealing her kill on the ground would have been the most likely outcome.
Leopards require patience and an understanding of their biology and psychology. But the rewards are SO worth it!
Absolutely, Lisa. Their secretive nature and awareness is something to behold.