An evening of bucketing rain resulted in a tricky start to the morning game drive. The roads were slick, visibility was low, and the bush felt unusually quiet. However, we made the best of the wet terrain and pushed on. After what turned out to be a fairly quiet morning in the field, we returned to camp and started planning what to do in the afternoon.
Rain clouds ready to burst.
Just as we were getting ready to put our feet up in between drives, another guide, Nic Glassock, mentioned that he was going to see how much the river had risen at the causeway. Curious, Nic Martin and I decided to join him to see what was happening. When we arrived, the river was flowing bank to bank across the causeway, far fuller than usual. The water was moving quickly and with real force. Seeing this, we decided to go and have a look at a different crossing point, Finfoot.
Finfoot was the fullest I had ever seen it, covering every grain of sand there was to offer. Large trees and debris were floating down the river at a ferocious pace, a clear reminder of how much rain had fallen upstream. Standing there watching the water rush past, the three of us naturally started wondering what the Maxabene (a small tributary that flows through the centre of the reserve) might look like.
So we climbed back into the vehicle and drove roughly 15 minutes to the Maxabene, only to find it completely bone dry. It was a strange contrast after seeing so much water elsewhere. Slightly disappointed, we turned around and started heading back to camp. That’s when Nic Martin suddenly pointed out some leopard tracks in the sand.
Knowing that the tracks had occurred after the torrential rain meant they were incredibly fresh. With no leopard found during the morning drive, we grabbed a radio and decided to follow the tracks a way to see where they might lead. After roughly 100 metres down the riverbed, we were surprised when a leopard rasped not too far from us. The sound stopped us in our tracks.
We quickly walked in the direction of the call, hoping to catch a glimpse, and about five minutes later, we found her. After taking a moment to enjoy the sighting on foot, we carefully walked back to the vehicle to see if we could get a better view. Once we relocated her from the car, we were absolutely over the moon.
The Nkoveni Female, was moving about after the rain, reestablishing her territorial boundaries and likely looking for a mate.
What started as a tricky, quiet morning turned into a special memory shared with two good friends – proof that even the most unlikely afternoons can end with something truly rewarding.
Wow, so much water! Good for the plants and animals, isn’t it?
As you said, a bit tricky to manoeuvre the heavy cars.
Has the Nkoveni Female been seen mating again? Or is she too old now to have a new litter?
Lovely photos.
Hi LGR. I’m sure you must have felt just absolutely delighted to see the Nkoveni female rapping and scent marking her very wet looking territory. With any luck, her calls might reach the ears of the massive Maxims male, who fathered her now 2yr old & recently independent son if he responds to the calling. I expect she’ll probably scent marking her territory in between bouts of mating once she has met up with a male who will be more than happy to sire her next litter of cubs very soon one day. At 13 yrs and 5 months old, and though it’s hard to tell, but this might well be her last ever litter that she’ll get the chance to raise well.
I hope she’ll raise her next litter to be a lot more successfully since she raised her two independent and territorial female offspring entirely. If she does get to raise another two or three cubs well to independence, then that will be a great achievement for her to marvel at and feel very pleased about. She is and has been a great and fantastic mother to all of the cubs she’s given birth to, raised and lost in sad circumstances so much. I think she truly deserves a medal for it.
I bet she’s glad to be rid of her large two year old and scrounging boy now, and be able to just walk her territory and call for a mate. I’ve lost count of how many litters of cubs she’s had throughout her entire adulthood in total now, but I’m only guessing this will probably be her seventh litter she’ll be looking to raise. Though it can’t be garenteed, but I do hope that she won’t suffer or have any untimely casualties in her new brood once she’s fallen pregnant and popped.
I think it is fair to say that she’s learned well from the experience of her elusive elderly mother, the Mashaba female, who I do hope is still alive and well there to this very day. I know the Mashaba female hasn’t been seen there for a long period of time, I’d still be interested to know how big her family tree is if you are able to tell me how many other male and female offspring she’s raised all the way to independence altogether in total. If you’re not sure, then why not ask one of the more experienced & exceptionally knowledgeable rangers, and see what they know and say. I’m sure she’s raised a lot more now adult cubs that we don’t know about so well, besides the Nkoveni and Ximungwe females who we know.
Maybe it’ll be wise and sensible to ask other game reserves that she goes to from, and rely on information from them to see if they know how and where she is right now currently. I might even message Sabi Sabi to see if they know. But through her 2 well known daughters, the Nkoveni & Ximungwe females, the dynasty of the Mashaba female carries on very well. If you ever do receive or get any news on the Mashaba female from any of the other game reserves, then do let me know a.s.a.p please.
But as I’ve said before, I hope the Nkoveni female’s calls reach the ears of any of the territorial males that come and go to and from your property a lot of the time. It will be great to see her with a new brood of cubs at some stage during the course of the year, as she frequently goes out hunting to provide plenty of food for them including herself.
Hope to hear from you shortly.
Robert 8.1.26
Finding a leopard while on foot! Scary and thrilling!!
What a great way to spend part of your break time – spending time with friends and enjoying the unexpected sighting of Nkoveni female – doesn’t get much better.