It was a clear, warm, sunny morning in the bush, which we are so lucky to have many of at this time of year at Londolozi. It was one of those days where everything felt settled from the outset.
We began our morning with a beautiful sunrise as we drove past our airstrip. Elephants and giraffes were scattered across the southeastern parts of the reserve. It wasn’t long, and we came across the Msuthlu Pride of lions. They were already fairly relaxed, spread out and resting, after what was probably a busy night hunting, so they were showing few signs of doing much beyond sleeping. We spent some time with them as they gradually became more settled, each individual easing into stillness.
All eyes were on us as we arrived at this special sighting of the full complement of the Msuthlu Pride and both Gijima Males. This was late morning, and the heat had already set in. Moments after this picture was taken, they had all joined the rest of the pride, who were sleeping in the shade.
With the lions now inactive, we decided to make our way back in the direction of the Sand River, where we’d spend a bit of time before heading back to camp. There was a quiet intention behind the route, however. We were hopeful of finding the Xinkhova Female leopard, who had recently been seen in the area after moving at least one cub to a new den nearby.
About ten minutes from camp we stopped again, this time with a herd of elephants feeding along the riverbank. The setting was calm and complete. The sound of water in the background as it flowed over the granite rocks, thick green vegetation from the rains earlier this year, the constant hum of birdlife and the steady rhythm of the herd moving through and feeding. We spent a while there before the heat began to build, eventually turning us back towards camp.
Not even two minutes later, rounding a bend in the road, everything shifted.
Roughly 70 metres ahead, perched up in the branches of an old leadwood tree, was the Xinkhova Female Leopard. She was positioned in dappled light, where a small gap in the tree’s canopy lit her up, as if to place more emphasis on this incredible moment. It was exactly the sighting we had hoped for, though not quite in the way we expected.
Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation's dominant female.
The day prior, one of the landcare team members had seen her moving a very young cub likely between den sites, along the southern bank of the Sand River. That brief encounter had given us a general sense of where she might be, but nothing more.
As we watched her in the tree, she remained alert, her attention drifting in the direction of the elephants we had just left. It didn’t feel like tension, more an awareness of their presence.
Then, faint at first, came the sound.
A soft call, unmistakably that of a leopard cub.
We scanned the branches again, more carefully this time. There it was, right in plain sight all this time! A tiny cub lay on the same branch, no more than a couple feet from its mother, looking out in our direction. It was still at an age where its vision wasn’t fully developed, its little movements uncertain and clumsy.
It became clear why she was so high up in the tree with such a small cub. In moving it between dens, she had encountered the same elephant herd we’d just spent time with. Rather than push through them, she had hoisted the cub into the safety of the branches, so she could gauge the general movements of the herd and to wait for them to move off.
We stayed with her as the cub began to move, slowly and somewhat clumsily, attempting to descend. At that age, which we assume to be about 4 weeks old, coordination is still developing, and although leopard cubs are instinctively drawn to climbing, this one was not yet entirely comfortable.
The Xinkhova Female assists her little cub as it makes its descent.
Eventually, the Xinkhova Female dropped down to the ground after her little cub.
What followed was an extended, unhurried sequence as she carried the cub, moving through the thickets, across open patches and on the road. We repositioned carefully, giving her space and looping ahead where possible, allowing her to pass by on her chosen path. She was composed and very focused, but not unsettled by our presence.
For several minutes, we watched as she continued to carry the cub, moving steadily towards her destination. Then, as quietly as it had begun, the sighting came to an end as she disappeared into the dense vegetation.
This was one of the most incredible leopard sightings I’ve had, and unfortunately, my pictures don’t do it any justice. Mother Nature works in mysterious ways, as there are days when such sightings are the result of hard work, a lot of persistence and patience, and others where everything simply aligns for a moment.
This morning felt like the latter.
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on A Moment Between Dens With the Xinkhova Female Leopard