The Camp Pan male was in full force this week as he mated with the Tamboti female. This young female has developed more and more of a territory for herself along the central eastern areas of Sparta, Londolozi. With the Dudley 5:5 Male Leopard infrequently visiting this area, there are no other competing male leopards that the Camp Pan male needs to worry about. As David mentioned in his post on Wednesday, we are all holding thumbs that the Tamboti female falls pregnant, giving birth to a set of cubs in about 3 months time.
The Tamboti Female just prior to mating – David Dampier
The frequency of mating varies depending on how far into the cycle they are, but can be as much as once every five minutes or so at the peak of the roughly five days that they spend together – David Dampier
My own experience with this female leopard has been interesting. The last sighting I had of her was on a hot November’s morning. In the sweltering and muggy heat we watched her lie on a termite mound until she eventually decided that the grass underneath our car was much cooler. Gracefully she slid underneath chassy of the vehicle and lay their for a full 10 minutes before moving off. An interesting experience which reinforced the amazing connection and levels of comfort between Land Rovers and Leopards at Londolozi. If any of you have had a similar experience with this leopard or with leopard sightings in general, please tell us your story in the comments section below.
The Tamboti Female just prior to crawling underneath the vehicle – Rich Laburn
The King of Londolozi in his day; an enormous male whose offspring still inhabit the reserve.
The Tamboti female inhabited the south-eastern sections of Londolozi, having a large part of her territory along the Maxabene Riverbed.
Thank you to our oft returning guest, Pat Flanagan for the great footage.
She’s beautiful. Love the last picture.
The wonderful story of Derrick and Beverly comes to mind, and how Lagedema used to rest under the car during the heat of the day, or use it as protection during storms. Incredible the comfort these animals have gained.
And wonderful footage, despite the beautiful summer foliage in the foreground 🙂 haha 🙂