Leopards of Sabi Sabi
on Mar 19, 2024With Sabi Sabi being situated in the Southwestern section of the Greater Kruger National Park, we are very privileged and blessed with not only a wide range of different habitats and environments, but also different species of mammals, birds, and reptiles.
Now talking about the Greater Kruger is often misunderstood by many, let me explain.
What most of us know as the Kruger National Park, is government-owned land, which is one of the biggest wildlife protected areas in the world with a size of roughly 2 million hectares, or 4.9 million acres. All the privately owned land around this which does not have any fences between them and the Kruger National Park then becomes the Greater Kruger area, which adds another plus minus 400,000 hectares or 860,000 acres. This all combines to an incredible size of roughly 5.8 million acres of unspoiled wilderness and wildlife. With all this space we have an abundance of all wildlife, from small reptiles and rodents to the general plains game, which in the end means a lot of predator activity.
One thing we are well known for is our leopard population and are fortunate to have the highest density of leopard in Africa around our reserve, with an average population of 12.2 leopards per 100km². Now with this, some might think it should be easy to find them, but with the leopard being one of the most elusive big cat species in the world it is always a challenge to track and find them. With their social structure making them solitary animals, it doesn’t make it easier as you are looking for a single individual instead of a group of them. After all this, the reward we feel after successfully tracking and finding them is a feeling you won’t get anywhere else in the world. Spending time with these beautiful species really makes you realise how special Mother Nature is.
Different seasons come with their own challenges. Leopard sightings in winter tend to be more frequent as the terrain is dry and open, all the grass has died off and trees have lost their leaves, making it possible to see further and track better in the sandy roads and animal paths. With the summer months arriving the rain always makes it difficult, as these cats prefer not to move around in wet conditions if they can avoid it. With the vegetation becoming very thick once again the leopard’s camouflage really does the trick and is extremely difficult to spot but luckily our trackers and guides have well-trained eyes and know what to look for to find them.
Leopard males and females are territorial which makes the identification of a certain individual easier. Knowing when you find a leopard in a certain area, it narrows it down to only a couple of females or 1 or 2 males that cover the area, we then use the spot pattern on the top whisker line to identify our leopards. Each leopard across the world has his/her own special facial marking, and with side photos of the head on both sides, you can positively identify any leopard. For us as rangers on safari, we can’t memorise everything, that is why we only look at the whisker line spot pattern and look for any other distinguishing factors, such as a ripped ear, colour of the eyes, scars in the face or any other mark on the body that is not common to any other individual.
Across Sabi Sabi, we have a high number of different leopards moving through our reserve, not permanently staying on our reserve as their territories stretch over our boundaries, but we can look at some of the well-known leopards in our reserve that some of you might be lucky enough to see while out on safari.
Kigelia female
This female is one of the more experienced and older females (10 years of age). Identifying this female is probably one of the easiest things to do especially when walking as she has a distinct limp in her back right leg, which she sustained as a youngster from a hyena. When walking, the limp can be clearly seen but once she starts running and reaches full speed there is absolutely no sign whatsoever of it, which means it doesn’t have any influence on her hunting skills and success rate. Finding this female is always special as she is very used to vehicles and is not bothered by our movements around her, making her an excellent cat to photograph. This female is often seen around Little Bush Camp as she grew up in this area and is very familiar with the area. She feels comfortable as she knows where to go if any trouble arises and how to get there without being caught. This female has a spot pattern of 3:3.
Ntsumi female and youngest cubs
Ntsumi is another one of the older and more experienced females we have around our reserve (9 years of age). Occupying the sections further east into our reserve, she is also the proud mother of numerous young leopards. With these cats being born in our area they are very well treated by rangers and trackers when on safari and are not over-pressurised by anyone, making them trust us from a young age in such a way that we almost become invisible as we follow them with the vehicle through the bush. This female has a very good track record for raising youngsters and having very relaxed cubs. Two of her previous cubs are the Golonyi female and Nottins male who we see regularly. She also has a distinct rip in her right ear which makes it easy to identify her. Now she is the proud mother of approximately 8-month-old cubs, only time will tell if they survive and reach independence or not. We are all holding thumbs as these youngsters are already a treat to be around. This successful mother has a spot pattern of 3:3. Her newest cubs will only be named once they reach independence around 14 months of age to make sure the chances of them surviving are higher.
Golonyi female
This is personally one of my favourite female leopards I have ever spent time with. Golonyi, being the daughter of Ntsumi, has always had a fantastic personality and didn’t mind vehicles whatsoever, almost looking like a model sometimes posing on every possible termite mount or tree she finds herself on. This female is still a youngster, only just over 3 years of age, but she has reached so many milestones in her life, from moving away from her mother and establishing her own territory and successfully protecting it, to mating with one of the males that is territorial over our reserve. She has not successfully conceived just yet, but it is only a matter of time. This female has incredible hunting skills as she has managed to take down fully grown impala males from a young age where she couldn’t even hoist them up a tree because they were too heavy for her. This female is holding her own story for now but hopefully, one day will become one of the most iconic females this reserve has ever seen. This female has a spot pattern of 2:3 and some of the greenest eyes you will ever see on a leopard.
Khulwana male
This male leopard has only recently moved into our reserve and has got himself caught in multiple run-ins with some of the bigger more dominant males but so far, he has stood his ground very well. He is young and very confident, embracing every opportunity he gets to make his presence known, either by vocalising or scent-marking the territory that is currently being occupied by Mawelawela. For now, he is still not as big or strong as this dominant male and is still being pushed around but this might change soon. We have watched him grow from a young and very aware male to a very relaxed individual, growing bigger and more confident by the day. We do not have too much information on him as it seems he might have come from the Kruger National Park. We estimate him to be around 4 years of age as he clearly still has growing to go through. The next year will determine whether he will be spending his time around our reserve or be pushed out by the bigger more dominant male in this area. This male has a spot pattern of 2:2 and an almost perfect circle of spots on his forehead, making it possible to identify him.
Makumu male
Another one of my favourite leopards. I recently wrote a blog on this male leopard where after he disappeared for months with no sign whatsoever of him, only to find him again with no sign or warning. Just as we started thinking the worst with no luck of seeing this male for close to 5 months, we were spoiled by finding him sleeping in the tops of a Marula tree. He has clearly grown a lot over recent months, and he is back in the southern section of our reserve, which is great news as there is no dominant male in this area. He has also started scent marking in the area, which indicates his confidence levels are very high, which is very good news for us. This is one of the youngest males we have around the reserve who is actively looking to take over territory. This male will be 3 years old in April 2024. He is also one of the most relaxed individuals we have around our reserve and is not bothered by vehicles, of course keeping in mind that everyone respects these animals and gives them right of way in all situations. This young male has a spot pattern of 2:2 but with a V-formation of spots on the forehead making it possible for us to distinguish between him and the Khulwana male.
N’weti male
This male is one of the largest male leopards we have in the area and is 9 years of age. He is still in the prime of his life and has a very healthy reproductive system going as he is the father of many cubs and many youngsters, including the two newest cubs of the Ntsumi female. This male took over the central to eastern parts of our reserve around 2 and a half years ago and has only gone from strength to strength, from mating with a variety of different females to pushing out any rival males coming into his territory. This male is also incredibly skilled to hunt warthogs, often waiting at their burrows for them to emerge after a good night’s rest, as he ambushes them on their way out. It is incredible to think how intelligent these animals really are and how much they know. This big male has a spot pattern of 3:2.
Mawelawela male
This dominant and territorial male was born further north of our reserve where he spent his first years before moving further south in search of his own territory. Currently, he is the dominant male in the western section of our reserve. This male is around 10 years old and has a very strange personality. In the daytime, he avoids vehicles at all costs and does not want to be seen, even when seen he goes into extremely thick areas where it is almost impossible to see him, but at nighttime, with a spotlight, he is as calm for a leopard as you can get. Recently he has had some competition from other younger males which will be working on his nerves, especially because he is getting to the old age of his life, but for now, he is still handling every obstacle that is thrown his side. He has also been good for our leopard reproduction system around Sabi Sabi as he has had numerous cubs with females also occupying the western section of our reserve. This male has a spot pattern of 3:4 and being the only fully grown male in the area for now also makes him easy to be identified.
Nottins male
This is one of the youngest and upcoming males we have around our reserve, being only around 2 years of age he has a tough year or two ahead of him as he will have to move out of his dad’s (N’weti) territory in search of his own. This male is the son of Ntsumi female and has only left her company a couple of months ago when her newest cubs were born. So far, he is doing an incredible job of securing meals for himself and staying safe against other predators and scavengers. This male has a spot pattern of 4:4 and is also the only young male moving around this area, making him easy to identify. With his mom and dad being very successful and calm individuals, he has adopted their behaviour and is a pleasure to be around, hopefully, he is successful in his quest for territory and one day his own females.
These are just some of the individuals we see around our reserve. As these animals have territories which often overlap, especially the females, we often see other individuals around as well, just not as often. These animals are completely wild even though they have grown custom to the vehicles they see almost daily, but one thing is for sure, if these cats don’t want to be seen, you will not see them. On foot they are elusive and skittish and will defend themselves if needs be, thus you always need to be aware when walking on their tracks to find them.
With leopard dynamics also changing every couple of years it is always interesting to stay up to date with the movements of leopards in and around our reserve, just for when a new individual appears we have an idea where to start to identify him/her.
These cats will remain one of the most beautiful big cat species in the world, and for me personally, my favourite cat to track, view and photograph while on safari.
Blog by Ruan Mey (Earth Lodge Ranger)
