Back in January 2024, fellow ranger Kirst Joscelyne wrote a blog on the reign of the Maxim’s Male, and one thing she touched on has stuck with me ever since. A male leopard is often judged not by how big he is or how long he holds his ground, but by how many cubs he sires and how many of them make it through to independence. Nearly three years on, I thought it was a good time to look at how he’s doing on that front and where his offspring are now. Since Kirst’s blog, there are a couple more independent leopards to add to the list.
The Maxims Male walking down the road on a territorial patrol, looking as big as ever. Even after all these years, he’s still very much the dominant male south of the Sand River.
Dominant since 2019. Once skittish Kruger-born giant now rules vast territory, transforming from elusive presence to formidable force.
The Maxim’s Male was first seen on Londolozi in 2019 and has been dominant ever since. He still holds the majority of the southern section of the reserve, south of the Sand River. Over the years, he has mated with a number of the females in his territory and sired a lot of cubs, but as with so many leopards, many of those cubs didn’t make it. So although he’s had plenty of cubs throughout his reign, only five that we see here on Londolozi have made it through to independence. He very well may have sired cubs elsewhere that I am unaware of.
For those that know the Maxims Male, you will know that this male leopard is often one to shy away from the cameras. This particular afternoon he surprised as all as he moved from termite mound to termite mound, pausing on each one to strike a pose as he did.
The Stone Drift and Xinkhova Females
The first two were raised together by the Nkoveni Female in 2021. These days we don’t see much of the Stonedrift Female at all, as she has settled into a territory on our eastern neighbouring property. The Xinkhova Female, on the other hand, is still very much part of our leopard viewing. As you would have read in my last blog, she has been looking heavily pregnant, and I have no doubt that she has probably already given birth. Where she decides to den will be extremely exciting to find out.
The Stone Drift and Xinkhova Females from 4 years ago. The cubs of the Nkoveni female have always provided some of the best leopard viewing there is.
Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation's dominant female.
Born 2021, larger daughter of Nkoveni. Successfully established territory in Mala Mala and now raising her first litter east of Londolozi.
The Nsuku Male
Next came the Nsuku Male, raised by the Three Rivers Female in 2021. He is territorial south of us now, and I believe he has become the dominant male south of our southern boundary. He is mating down there too, so most likely he is siring offspring of his own, which means the Maxims Male’s line is already moving on to the next generation.
The Nsuku Male, who has definitely got his father’s genes. Like the Maxims Male, he has grown into a big male leopard, and it’s no surprise he’s now holding his own south of our southern boundary.
Born 2021, son of Three Rivers Female. Once playful cub turned skittish post independence. Striking gold 'nsuku' coat.
The Shingi Male
The Shingi Male was raised by the Nkoveni Female in 2024. He still spends a bit of time on our eastern neighbouring property, but as of late he has been hanging around our southeast quite a bit, and we’ve been having some great sightings of him. Being a young male in his father’s territory, I presume at some point he’ll have to move on and find ground of his own, but for now we’re enjoying every sighting we get.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
The Tinxiya Female
Last but not least is the Tinxiya Female, also raised by the Three Rivers Female in 2024. She has been spending most of her time in our southeast as well, and since her mother sadly passed away earlier this year, she has fitted straight into the Three Rivers Female’s territory. As rangers and trackers, we are all hoping that one day she is able to raise young of her own there.
The Tinxiya female, quickly becoming one of my favourite leopards on the reserve. This is a photo from a while ago but you can clearly see where the name comes from, her prominent white eyebrows.
A confident and curious young leopard, that is nearing independence after a remarkable start to life alongside her resilient mother.
So that’s five offspring who have made it through, out of a lot more cubs over the years, which is not a bad record for a male who arrived in 2019. Hopefully he holds on to the south for a good while yet, and we get to add a few more names to the list.
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