This blog post today comes with a seriously bittersweet taste in our mouths. Between this tremendously exciting discovery of the Plaque Rock Female’s den, writing this blog and now trying to publish it, we have some heartbreaking news to share with you. Please, grab a Kleenex, a strong dose of rescue remedy, and someone’s shoulder before reading the next sentence!
With tears in our eyes and sorrow in our hearts, we reluctantly need to break the news that the Plaque Rock Female was tragically killed by the Ndzhenga Males on Mala Mala a few mornings ago. We are just trying to come to grips with it and gather all the information, but stay tuned for more on this soon.
For those of you who, can and would like to continue reading, I will try to keep this as light and upbeat as possible, with some obvious and necessary tweaks to what I had originally written.
Over the last while, sightings of the Plaque Rock Female had been few and far between. Until about a couple weeks ago, she was seen with a milk pouch (loose skin around her abdomen) and fresh suckle marks which are brown hues around her teets. With the exciting prospect of her having a new litter, we set off in search of her over the next few days with the hope of confirming that she has a new litter and keeping them on Londolozi.
A large portion of the Plaque Rock Female’s territory extends into the inaccessible banks of the Sand River where she has denned her cubs in the past.
A pretty young playful female found along the river to the east of camp
The first couple days there was still no sign of her – no tracks in her territory or any other indication she had recently been around. Until one late one evening, she was found near our camps relentlessly scent-marking and rasping. The next morning we decided to drive along the Sand River to the east of the Londolozi Camps, now well within the Plaque Rock Female’s territory and see if we could find her. With her territory extending into the Sand River and partially on Mala Mala, there were a number of spots along the banks of the river where she had denned in the past. To our delight, we found some fresh tracks of her south of the river, but heading away from the river. The wind was somewhat taken out of our sails, thinking that she was coming from her den and that it was likely somewhere in the river again.
Always an important part of a morning drive is finding fresh tracks of the animal you are searching for so that you have an idea of which direction to go.
It was still early in the morning and as the sun rose over the horizon and we came around a corner, there ahead of us in the distance was a leopard, the Plaque Rock Female, and the leopard we were now actively tracking. We followed her for some time as she scent-marked continuously until she headed towards a thick drainage line. Thinking she was now moving into the thicker vegetation to hunt, we remained hopeful that the morning would still hold some excitement. Moments later the Plaque Rock Female turned towards a nearby tree and chuffed.
Chuffing is a low-intensity vocalisation used when greeting another leopard. They force air through their nose and is used normally in friendly non-threatening encounters.
While waiting silently we barely heard the high-pitched squeak of what could only be a leopard cub coming from the tree next to her. The leaves began to move and moments later – this tiny blue-eyed leopard cub crept out from the long grass towards its patiently awaiting mother.
Our first glimpse at this tiny cub as it carefully made its way through the long grass just after first light
An overwhelming sense of emotions set in as we got to witness this mother care for and groom her tiny cub. This was then followed by playful moments as the Plaque Rock Female began to play with her tiny cub. The most magical thing to witness.
Very playful interaction between the Plaque Rock Female and cub before she began to groom it.
The morning sun rose and offered for this tender moment as the Plaque Rock Female groomed her cub before it went to suckle.
At this young age, this cub is reliant only on the milk from its mother.
Witnessing such a tender moment between the Plaque Rock Female and her cub was a profound privilege. The beauty of their bond was mesmerizing, a glimpse into the raw, unfiltered intimacy of nature. As we watched her groom and play with her tiny cub, it was clear how vital and vibrant life can be in the wild.
The tragic news of her untimely death is a stark reminder of the fragility of life. While we celebrate the discovery of her den and the incredible view we had on this particular morning, we also mourn her loss deeply. She was an amazing leopard to view and one that we held close to our hearts. Over and above this tragic news lay the unbearable fact of certain death for the cub. However, the only light in this sad story is that on the same day that the Plaque Rock Female was killed, a few tufts of leopard cub fur were found at the den, indicating that something had found the cub and it would not suffer.
Stay tuned for another update as soon as we dedicate a tribute to this amazing leopard.
sadly , emotional and depressed keep thinking and tears , how fragile leopard is, i couldnt believe it that my favourite female leopard was killed such that way, but there is nothing we can do it a nature and wildlife, sometime wildlife can be so cruel. have to accept the truth, i being following this londolozi blog since PAGE 1 till now, ive never imagine how sad this could be (RIP PLAQUE ROCK FEMALE)
I know nature can be brutal, but it doesn’t stop the shock and tears. Nature is also fragile and nurturing. I suppose it is like anything. One can look at a herd of Impala and just say, “well, that leopard just caught another Impala”. But if you get to know the Impalas individually, you would mourn the loss of that individual. I have found the same even with insects. I might look at a hive of bees and see them as an entity, but if I find one in the birdbath, I take it inside, dry it off, give it sugar water and let it go on a flower with nectar. It’s the same with the leopards at Londolozi. I’ve never seen them in real life, but through these wonderful emails and videos, I have come to know and love certain individuals (Not just leopards). It’s always so sad when one of them dies, especially a brutal death. I never quite got over the Ottowa male. The Plaque Rock Female will be up there among my faves.
I am absolutely heartbroken over this tragedy and tears are coming now. I am so very sorry for this magnificent leopard and her baby.
After watching the Plaque Rock Female’s abounding joy playing with her Cub on Sunday’s Blog this news really hits hard. To lose both leopards so tragically is a huge Londolozi loss and we all are grieving. I search for answers to where was her instinct? Her cunning? Her climbing ability to get away? The bushveld is both beautiful and cruel…and some questions will remain unanswerable and incomprehensible.
I am gutted by this news. She was my first Londolozi leopard. In January of 2020, Sean spotted her in a tree minutes after leaving camp on my first game drive. With his help, I took incredible photos of her. One of which hangs in my bathroom for me to see every morning. So, I have always felt a special attachment to her. I was thrilled to see her with her cub and I was hopeful that I would be able to see them both next summer when I visit. I was blessed to witness her magnificent beauty.
Kirst, what sad news. Nature is unforgiving and at times very fragile. Thank you for sharing even though it is something I would have preferred not to hear.
😭😭😭😭😭 one of my favorite girls and such a tragic ending to this little family. RIP beautiful Plaque Rock and sweet baby.
I feel for you and this is heartbreaking for me too, every single one since Karula and up to date…
So so sad … les lois de la nature sont souvent cruelles …
Cette femelle et son bébé étaient magnifiques
So terribly sad! It’s so sad that a leopards life is always in danger right from the start as a tiny baby. When you published this lovely video of this mother’s love and her cheerful and happy playing with her little baby, everything seemed so wonderful. It’s really so sad that both, mother and child, found such a tragic death.
What tragic news. My 💔 is broken. And to think not only the Plaque Rock Female, but her beautiful new cub. The thread of life is so fragile, yet beautiful and so cruel. We were blessed to witness her life, her love for her new cub and her beauty and strength. She will be forever missed💔
Oh no Kirst! This is tragic news, especially after seeing her play with her cub so beautifully. My heart is broken to hear this terrible news that both have been brutally killed by the Ndhzenga Males. I don’t think I could handle being so close to the animals, seeing them just about everyday or everywhere, to loose them so cruelly.
First of all Kirst, well done on writing this tragic report on the demise of Plaque Rock Female as it can’t have been easy, especially after finding her with that adorable cub. It took a few minutes after reading this, wiping the last tears, to say that I’m devastated. However, I’m thrilled Sean was able to post his virtual safari so we could enjoy seeing her playing with her cub in such a joyful way. Nature works in mysterious ways, providing us with beauty and special moments but just as quickly, those can disappear in a heartbeat. I don’t want to think about the cub and its most certain end, but instead to remember the beautiful moments captured in the video.
I can’t believe it… she was so beautiful and finally a happy mother. Her life has been really unlucky. Has she ever had a survived cub?
What a tragedy! We both felt so terrible, especially after having spent so much time with her during our last visit- great photos!- and after watching Sean’s video blog last Sunday. The realities of Mother Nature can be hard to accept. Thank you, Kirst, for your compassionate words.
Oh my…shocking and so sad! Heartbreaking – so so so sad.
Truly heartbreaking 🙁 Do we know…wrong place at the wrong time? Were they hunting her? Would lions prey on leopards or just kill as competition? Small blessing the little one didn’t suffer long 🙁
Oh Kirst, other than thank you for posting this, I have no words, just sorrow.
I’m devastated Kirst, you were right about needing the Kleenex. When I read your headline I put off reading this, assuming she’d lost the cub. I’m totally shocked….though I shouldn’t be as nature is unpredictable and not known for happy endings. She had a lucky escape from lions a while ago, so we’ve been fortunate to have had that extra time with her. She’s always been one of my favourites, and I will still see her every day as I have a large canvas of her when she was a cub with Nkoveni in our front room.
Thank you for this tribute to Plaque Rock. Barbara was still at Mala Mala when she broke the news to me here at home. We will never forget this sighting. The universe smiled on us that day. It was timing and luck, but more importantly, it was your initial intention on that very cold, dark morning to search for her and your intuition when you heard that squeak in the tree, thinking it might be a bird, but then again, it might be a leopard cub. After all, she had denned cubs in that area before. Thank you, once again, for a wonderful series of sightings, and especially for this one.
This is heartbreaking news. She had just been born when we visited in 2018, but she hadn’t been seen yet. I’ve so enjoyed following her life the last six years. I’d hoped we would be able to see her on our next visit (as yet to be planned) but nature had other plans. Losing both leopards is a tragedy, not doubt, but I am at least somewhat relieved the cub didn’t starve to death or die from dehydration. This is a sad, sad, day.
There was a video of her 3 years ago. She was fighting with a lioness on a tree branch. Both cats fell to the ground, but the PR female managed to escape. What an audacious queen. Lions finally got her… Forever in my heart.
Oh no, what a tragedy. She was such a beautiful leopard, my personal favorite, saw her as a baby with her mother Nkoveni playing around on Plaque rock ( with Nick Kleer)- wildlife is sometimes very hard.