This week’s Virtual Safari is all about instinct, patience, and a little bit of bush magic.
The Ngungwe Female has been on the move, shifting her cubs between dens before we could even catch a proper glimpse. But that all changed just a few mornings ago.
A rainbow at sunrise. A gut feeling. A moment of trust.
As a light drizzle fell, painting a rainbow over the koppie, we had a hunch— suspecting that she had moved her cubs again? Deciding to follow our own pot of gold, we switched off on the northern side of the koppie, listening. A chorus of alarm calls soon led us into a drainage line, where we were through the roof with excitement to find her resting in the river sand, tucked near a cluster of boulders. Was this the new den? There was only one way to find out.
We settled in, committed to witnessing the secret life of a mother leopard in the quiet heat of the day. And then—a rustle in the grass. A tiny face peeking out.
At last, after weeks of searching, we were rewarded with a magical sighting of the Ngungwe Female’s two adorable cubs, just two months old, nervously but curiously exploring their surroundings.
To wrap up, we end with a wildly entertaining scene as a pack of wild dogs interact with a hyena, before getting chased off by a dazzle of zebra and a herd of wildebeest.
Enjoy this Virtual Safari…
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I loved seeing the cubs nursing. Let’s hope they survive. She’s doing a great job so far, especially as a new mother.
I really hope they survive. She is doing a great job so far.
What a downpour of rain in the end of this really great video.
How wonderful that the Ngungwe female has two cubs; they are so cute. Let’s hope that no hyena will find them.
The interactions of five different species of mammals plus an eagle was also fantastic.
Did all this happen during the lunch break?
We got absolutely soaked in that rain at the end. We are so excited to see how the Ngungwe Female does as a mother. No this sighting of the wild dogs was during a morning game drive.
Hi Sean, the Ngungwe female is stunning, perfect, in addition she has a gorgeous spot pattern and lovely amber eyes with a very pink nose. Her cubs seem to have the same amber eyes, the bolder one has very dark ones.. a male and a female? They are visibly scared but can’t resist. Even when the weather in unbearably hot, as the mother shows, they don’t loose their will to play like children. I like the way hyena interact with other predators, trying in all ways to get a scrap. They are really smart. In contrast wild dogs spend a lot of time being restless even when they don’t hunt and interact with each other, a lot of energy gets lost. Fantastic the way zebras lead the scene, they restore calm and peace, wildebeest get courage from them. I like the way the bird caught a zebra’s attention. Another interesting interaction, quite uncommon. They look at each other curiously. There are many interesting birds in Londolozi! Who’s the father of the cubs?
She really is a stunning female leopard. The cubs were nervous but like you say they couldn’t resist. So hopefully, in a bit of time they relax and we get some more viewing of them. We think that the father would either be the Tortoise Pan Male or Flat Rock Male, but we don’t have any records of her mating ahead of this litter.
Great footage. Don’t stop!
Are the eyes of the two cubs different? They don’t look the same to me but maybe it’s MY eyesight!
Their eyes look wide and curious but I wouldn’t say they look different.
Thank you Sean, your footage of Ngungwe and her cubs is enchanting. Are they her 1st cubs, as far as you’re aware? Also, I thought that cubs’ eyes stayed blue until they are about 3 months old?
Yes, these are her first cubs. So my understanding is that the colour of the eyes turns brown at about 6 weeks old and these cubs are presumed to be about 8 weeks old.
Awesome video Sean! exceptional time spent with the Ngungwe Female and her cubs!
Thank you so much, I am glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for a wonderful update. Really enjoyed the video. What is the status of the Toulon pack? We’ve heard very little, so am very curious, what’s been happening to them and their 3 adopted pups. And. What happened to the other 2/3 wild dogs, after pups were taken.
The Toulon Pack has now got seven dogs (1 male, 5 adult females and 1 female pup).
Great video Sean, I especially liked the leopard cubs. Beautiful video pictures of the mother and cubs.
Thank you so much, William.
Hi Sean, those two leopard cubs are so cute. It is always a highlight for me to see tiny leopard cubs. So glad you found her den, because she is a skittish leopardess. Hopefully she can keep them safe and raise then to adulthood. Wonderful to see the wild dogs chase the hyena away, because they always steel the kill. So wonderful to see the zebras and blue wildbeast together. What huge bird landed there on the grass. Beautiful video
They are such cute cubs. It was a Tawny Eagle that landed.
Dear Sean , another amazing virtual safari- nothing more interesting to see the interaction with mother and cubs.Thanks a lot.
Thank you so much. I am glad you enjoyed it.
This is yet another phenomenal video Sean. The footage of Ngungwe and her two adorable cubs is priceless. Yes, they are a bit skittish but curious at the same time I’m especially attracted to the eyes of young cubs, seemingly too large for their little faces but so bright in their blue hues. From what I could tell, it seems like she has two males although one was a bit of a guess. It was the perfect place to see and photograph them and hopefully they will still be around during my stay end of March. By then, maybe the rain will have stopped
. The clearing you came upon was truly amazing to view as the wild dogs chased the hyenas, followed by the zebras somewhat intimidating the wild dogs, but even more fun was watching the wildebeest get into the act with their gymnastic bucks. Just great entertainment!
The cubs are curious and it was amazing to see them come out and spend time with their mother. And the wild dogs at the end was great.
What an exciting morning Sean! You certainly found the pot of gold for your lucky guests!
We found the pot of gold for sure.
This was fantastic, thank you!!
You are welcome.
What do you know or is your guess for what happened to the two stolen pups? Thanks!
We are not sure of exactly what happened to the other two pups but they were likely killed by other predators.
Hi! Do you have an idea of age for the cubs? Possibly born mid-October or beginning of November. The first sighting of Ngungwe’s cubs was recorded in 2024 December 7th in Londolozi. Only one cub seen at the time and no mating history recorded. Are there speculations of father? Thank you! Great video!
We would presume the cubs to be born in early December. The father would most likely be between Tortoise Pan Male and Flat Rock Male.
Sean, Thanks for another wonderful story with a happy ending!!l