The Maxims Male does not need any introduction. It has been over six years since he first set foot on Londolozi, and he has never looked back. Arriving here in 2019 as a very skittish, shy, but big and bold leopard, he decided to make this his home. Over the years, he has slowly relaxed and become accustomed to the vehicles, allowing our sightings of him to be incredible.
The Maxims male posed up in a tree.
Dominant since 2019. Once skittish Kruger-born giant now rules vast territory, transforming from elusive presence to formidable force.
Over the past 3 weeks, the Maxims Male has delivered a remarkable run of sightings, three that left us speechless on numerous occasions. The first of which was an impala ram kill in the central parts of Londolozi. Not only was this a show of pure strength, but this sighting allowed us to view what historically is an unrelaxed leopard beautifully. Often relaxing on a termite mound nearby, and if you were lucky, you might catch him up in the small russet bushwillow feeding on the kill. ]
The sightings did not end there… two days after making the kill, the Shingi Male, one of Maxim’s Male’s offspring, joined the party. Not only did Maxim’s accept him being around the kill, but he remarkably let his son feed on the carcass when he wasn’t. A behaviour not often witnessed out in the bush.
Maxim’s Male rests on the termite mound between feeds on his Impala ram kill
The second kill that took our breath away was a zebra foal. A species of animal that isn’t often targeted by leopards, but the Maxim’s Male had little trouble not only bringing down the zebra foal but also hoisting it up in a tree right on the road. A kill of this stature lasts several days for a single predator feeding on it, and one afternoon, he produced something special.
As we approached the scene, we noticed the kill had not been fed on much, and the Maxim’s Male was fast asleep in the drainage line. All of a sudden, he sprang up, ears forward and muscles poised; he had heard something, the alarm of a bushbuck. Off he went, with my guests and me in hot pursuit. As quickly as the chaos began, it dissipated. The bushbuck was long gone, and Maxim’s had no leads. Just as we thought he was going to return to the kill, he climbed into the most beautiful River Thorn tree and decided to rest. Seeing him draped across those branches, broad-shouldered, calm, and completely in his element, it felt like we were watching a king survey the lands he was only just starting to reclaim.
After responding to the bushbuck alarm kill, he decided to take a rest in a big river thorn tree. Scanning the bush, he poses elegantly as if he wanted his photo taken for once.
The third kill, and yes, in the third week of having this elusive leopard around, was nothing short of special too. And consisted of him killing yet another impala ram. After ranger Kirst and tracker Lucky had found his tracks, we joined the search party. It didn’t take long for the trackers to find the kill, which led us to Maxim’s himself. Watching him pant at the base of the tree, stomach full and eyes ajar, two wild dogs surprised him from behind, and it was almost as if an eruption had occurred in front of us.
Dust flew everywhere, growls echoed through the drainage, and the typical chitter from the wild dog surprised us all. Instead of sticking around to stand and fight, the Maxim’s Male bolted up the tree to protect the kill from being lost. The wild dog circled him like sharks before disappearing into the thicket to carry on their afternoon hunt. Exhilarating would be an understatement.
After feeding on his impala ram kill, the Maxim’s Male ascends a nearby tree to clean his whiskers before taking a nap.
As incredible as these three sightings were, and to say we were lucky to spend so much time with a leopard that is typically shy, was special. But it got me thinking, was it actually luck or has the Maxim’s Male taken a turn and decided the vehicles and guests aren’t that bad? Over the years, he has relaxed, but the last three weeks have shown that all our efforts to habituate him have not gone to waste. I wish the raw beauty and pure presence of a male leopard of his size could be shown to everybody. To feel the intimidation, that power, and the quiet realisation that you are sitting in front of something truly wild. May Maxim’s legacy last a lifetime, and I hope in your next visit to Londolz,i you have the privilege to see him.
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on One Leopard With Three Kills In Three Weeks