For four days, a quiet stretch of riverine woodland along the Maxabene became the focal point for the Nkoveni Female Leopard and her 20-month-old son. They had two impala carcasses hoisted in the canopy, and with ample food secured and no immediate threats in the area, they settled in. The pair moved between resting spots and the kills with the slow, steady rhythm that comes when leopards can feed without having to defend their meals.
The Nkoveni Young Male resting in the shade of the jackelberry and leadwood trees with his mother on another branch nearby in between their two hoisted impala kills.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
Both carcasses were stashed in a pair of trees that are, quite literally, joined at the trunk. A jackalberry and a leadwood have grown against one another over decades, their cambium layers eventually fusing, a process known as inosculation, or “marriage trees.” Instead of growing independently, the two now stand as a single structure, sharing physical support and, to some extent, resources. Trees like this often go unnoticed until something draws your attention to them — in this case, two leopards and two impala carcasses draped across their branches.
Inosculation occurs when two parts of two different trees grow together, either the branches or the trunks. The trees grow next to each other, and as a result of the wind moving them and the friction between them, it removes a layer of bark, exposing their cambium layers (the nutrient highway) that then fuse together as they try to heal the damaged area and new bark is formed over that section. The nutrients may also be shared between the two trees, and it is also said that if one dies, the other will die soon after.
When we first arrived that morning, only one carcass hung in the tree. By late afternoon, the young male appeared, dragging a second impala across the riverbed and hoisting it into the same intertwined trunks. Whether it was his mother or the young male who made the kill isn’t clear, but at his age, either is possible. Young males approaching independence often start hunting more actively, testing their abilities and occasionally matching their mothers’ success.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
Over the next few days, their behaviour around the carcasses began to shift. They still shared the kills, feeding from both, but there were longer pauses before one would approach if the other was feeding. Snarls became more frequent, low growls rolled through the branches, and small standoffs played out over choice feeding spots. This kind of tension is normal at this stage. As independence nears, the mother begins to assert clearer boundaries, and the young male learns to navigate them, a gradual push toward self-reliance rather than a single clean break.
Hidden between the branches of the jackelberry tree, the Nkoveni Female feeds on one of the impala kills.
An impala carcass can sustain a leopard for two to three days, depending on its size and how much is consumed or stolen. With two kills secured above ground, the pair remained in the same stretch of riverbed for several days. Hyenas were constantly waiting beneath the trees, drawn in by the scent. A clear indication of what was at stake, one wrong move resulting in a carcass falling, and it is lost to the hyenas. The leopards fed and rested in turn, shifting between the branches as the days went on.
One would imagine this to not be the most comfortable way to rest in a tree; however, the Nkoveni Young Male seemed to think otherwise. He stayed like this for about 2 hours.
This sighting stood out not just for the abundance of food, but for the way it unfolded. Two trees, physically joined after decades of growth, became a temporary centre for a mother and son who, for just a little longer, remain connected themselves. His independence isn’t far off now. Soon, he’ll begin to spend more time on his own, then eventually move beyond this familiar stretch of woodland.
The Nkoveni Female snarls towards her son as he attempts to snuggle up to her side.
Encounters like this are rare. Not because double kills never happen, but because they align with a particular moment in a leopard’s life, a brief overlap between dependence and dispersal. It’s a quiet transition, and being able to watch it unfold over several days offered a clear glimpse of that shift.
A more tender moment in times gone by as Nkoveni grooms her son.
Excellent article Kelsey, thank you!
Great article on these two leopards. It’ s so interesting to watch how a young leopard becomes slowly independent.
Hi Kelsey, so very interesting the jackalberry tree and the lewdwood tree intertwined! This is a fantastic natural sculpture and example of symbiotic relationship. Needless to say, the Nkoveni duo is absolutely spectacular. They take the spot! How nice to see them together. I still wonder how his lovely sister would looand behave….
Thanks for the update. The photos of the tree and the leopards tell the story. We look forward to seeing the young male come to independence and will soon see him have his own name soon!
Great blog, Kelsey…..and every ranger over those 4 days must have had very happy guests!
Dear Kelsey, that must be very intense days-thanks for that story. Love the pic of Nkoveni and her son , laying together. When will he separate from the mom? Hope, he will make it better than Plug rock.
Lovely story, Kelsey. I’d never heard of two different species of trees growing together like this – fascinating! The Nkoveni young male is sure thriving – she’s taught him well.
Hi Kelsey, interesting article about the inoculations of the two trees. Nkoveni female and her young son are two gorgeous leopards. Fantastic to see them together, feeding on the two carcasses in the two trees. Soon the young males will be going on his own gaining his independence, and mom will be alone again.
Thanks, Kelsey. What a treat to be able to see this.
I appreciate your update on the Nkoveni duo, especially given her amazing son will soon head off to make his own way. For all of you who have been a part of Nkoveni’s story for almost 2 years, it will be a bittersweet moment. Through your blogs and stories we have cheered her birth of three cubs, then were saddened when she lost one. But then there were months of pure joy, watching her young, rambunctious male and female cubs move through her territory without a care until that fateful encounter with the Kambula Pride. As one who observed firsthand the young duo and of late, the survivor, now thousands of miles away, I keep my fingers crossed everyday that Nkoveni’s subadult son finds his path and safely begins his independence.