The Xinkhova Female is pregnant. Two drives, two days in a row, and by the second one there was absolutely no ambiguity about what I was looking at. A very distended belly, swollen teats, and a leopard who had no idea she was about to become the most watched animal on the property again.
The first drive I raced out between rain showers to find her up in a riverthorn. She descended, walked right past the vehicle, and that was that — confirmation enough. The second morning Shadrach found her in the exact same tree, almost the exact same spot, grooming in the exact same way. A little bit of deja vu, and honestly not a bad kind.
We don’t know when. We don’t know where. But it’s coming. And we’ll be watching as closely as we can.
In between all of that I bumped into the pack of four wild dogs on the way across to find the Plains Camp Males. Far from home, moving through some rocky thicket. Spent a few minutes with them before they disappeared and I carried on.
And then the Plains Camp Males on a ridge with the most incredible moody cloudy backdrop. Sat there until the light almost completely disappeared, waiting for one of them to cooperate. Eventually one did.
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Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation's dominant female.
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on Good Things Come to Those Who Wait. Eventually. | Virtual Safari #344