The Northern parts of Londolozi are quickly becoming my favourite regions of the reserve, and it is all because of one animal, the Ngungwe Female. Not just because of her striking coat, her glistening eyes or her resemblance to her mother, the Piccadilly Female. But, it is more because I feel like I’m really getting to know this beautiful leopard more than I ever have before, and right now, there is even more reason to celebrate her.
The beautiful Ngungwe Female resting in a marula tree after feeding on her kill that lay at the base.
As many of you know, the Ngungwe Female gave birth to two little cubs back in the early days of December 2024. The first time she was spotted with them was on the 6th of December, moving her cubs from one rocky outcrop to another. They were tiny at that point, maybe only a week old at most. Just a few months later, she was seen with just a single cub and for reasons we do not know, she had lost the other.
One of the first photos of one of Ngungwe Female’s cubs taken back in in the early months of 2025.
This is not uncommon amongst leopards and for a first-time mother, where instinct plays the most important role in raising a cub, losing one cub meant she could put all her attention and focus on the one she had left. And that is exactly what she did. Fast forward nearly 18 months since the first sighting of her and her cubs, and she now has a fully grown female cub at the brink of reaching independence, or has she already decided she can defend for herself?
This year, I have had more sightings of the Ngungwe Female already than I did the whole of last year. The first two sightings she was found alongside her female cub, and the last few times have been a little different. The most recent sighting surprised me the most. About 3 weeks ago, we found her on Ximpalapala crest, up in a marula tree, but all alone. Which at first felt a little weird to me, but the more I thought about it, I assumed she was out hunting and had left the Ngungwe Young Female somewhere so she wouldn’t spoil any potential opportunities to get another meal. But three days ago, my mind swayed.
The Ngungwe Female descends the marula tree on Ximpalapala crest
After hearing over the radio that the Ngungwe Female had been found, again in a marula tree on Ximpalapala crest, but this time with a kill I thought for sure I was arriving to a sighting with two leopards. But this was not the case. An impala ram, half eaten at the base of the marula tree, and the Ngungwe Female slept alone in the canopy. No cub to be seen yet again. She lay up in the tree for about 45 minutes before we left. She did not contact call to find the cub, nor did she have any intention of going to look for her. This confused me before I did the math.
The Ngungwe Young Female all grown up lying in a Jackalberry tree as she waits for her mom to return from her hunt.
The Ngungwe Young Female is 18 months old… The slightly on the earlier side of the normal age of a female leopard to start parting ways with her mother. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that she was by herself this whole time? Maybe she herself is celebrating the fact that she has successfully raised her first-ever cub, from her first-ever litter, to independence? Time will tell if this is the case, so stay tuned for future updates but I feel optimistic we too have a reason to celebrate, the Ngungwe Female is a successful mother.
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