Having just got back from leave recently, one of the first things I wanted to catch up on was what the Xinkhova Female has been up to, and it sounds like she has been keeping the guiding team on their toes. While I was away, she was seen both east and west of camp, and she has been spending a fair bit of time in areas we wouldn’t normally have linked to her.
Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation's dominant female.
When I last wrote about her in October last year, we were still waiting for her first litter and her territory seemed to be settling along the Sand River east of camp. She has held onto that stretch of river, and is still being seen there fairly regularly. What has changed is how far west she is now moving. She has been found around Finfoot crossing and heading further west towards Taylor’s River Road, which is a fair way from where most of us were used to seeing her. And now, only a few days ago, she was seen as far across as Taylor’s Crossing.
A thrilling sighting as we tried to keep up with the Xinkhova female as she moved through the Sand River. Eventually we got a spectacular view of her as she walked out into the open across the boulders in the morning golden light.
So why the move?
With the Nhlanguleni Female not around, there has been a gap west of camp for a while now, and I believe the Xinkhova Female has started to shift into it. It hasn’t come at the cost of her old ground, though, so for now she seems to be covering both, with her territory being along a good portion of the river. For those of you lucky enough to have visited, you’ll know why a leopard would want as much of that river as she can get. Whether she can hold such a big area long term, I’m unsure. Most likely she will settle into one section as time goes on, or alternatively she may manage to hang onto the lot if no other female pushes in.
Circling back to her cubs, which many of you will have followed. Sean shared the sad news earlier this year, and unfortunately her last remaining cub was lost around five months ago. It’s never easy to see, but first-time mothers very often lose their first litter, and hopefully it is something she learns from.
The good news is that not long after losing the cub, she was seen mating with an unknown male leopard. He is a very skittish male, and we don’t get frequent views of him at all, so even knowing the two of them were together was exciting. She is looking very heavily pregnant now and it will only be a matter of time until she gives birth.
We haven’t had a territorial female west of camp for a while, and a female raising cubs there would go a long way to filling that void. Being young and having already been through one litter, I think she will be a little wiser the second time round.
The Xinkhova Female gives a big stretch after a long nap on the comfy trunk of a fallen Jackalberry tree. Once again, patience rewarded us!
For now, it is a waiting game. Over the next few weeks we will be keeping a close eye on her. Here’s hoping that the next time I write about the Xinkhova Female, it’s to introduce her cubs.
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