Kikilezi FEMALE
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Kikilezi Female - Photographed by ranger Giles Kelmanson
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| December 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE * 5 YEARS 2 MONTHS Location: WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY The game report period commenced with a good sighting of the female and her cub feeding on a duiker to the south of the Causeway. Thereafter the two leopards were found feeding on a female nyala at Manyelethi Crossing. While they were feeding, the Manyelethi Male appeared on the scene, and approached the area of the kill. The Kikilezi Female and her cub merely watched the male leopard, but did not appear particularly startled or concerned by his presence. As the male approach the kill the female and her cub moved off slightly. The male fed for a while, and the cub edged closer to the carcass. The male showed absolutely no aggression towards the cub, fed for a while longer, and then left as suddenly as he had arrived. Later in the game report period, the three leopards were again seen together around the Old Airstrip. Initially the female and her cub were resting some distance away from the male. They then approached him and lay down with him. The Kikilezi Female then got up and walked northwards, leaving her cub with the Manyelethi Male. She obviously feels comfortable that this male will not threaten her cub, as he believes he fathered the cub. However the truth of the situation is that the Kikilezi Female mated with the Manyelethi Male and the Bicycle Crossing Male, and either one could be the father.
During one afternoon drive, rangers heard impala snorting close to Piccadilly Pans. Soon thereafter the Kikilezi Female leopard was seen, carrying an impala southwards. She dropped the impala next to a pan, drank and then rested in the shade. She then moved west, presumably to call her male cub. While moving west she noticed a Bateleur Eagle in a tree. The eagle flew eastwards towards her kill and the female leopard immediately turned around and ran back to the carcass, watching the bird of prey as she went. She collected her kill and then carried it all the way west into the Sand River in front of Mala Mala Main Camp where she disappeared into the river reeds. Towards the latter part of the report period the Kikilezi Female and her cub was seen to the north of the New Airstrip. The ranger at the sighting noticed that the cub was limping badly, and was struggling to walk. Thereafter, the Kikilezi Female was seen several times, but there was no sign of the cub. The next report period will undoubtedly provide clarity on whether or not this cub is still alive. November 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE *5 YEARS 1 MONTH Location: WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
It appears that the Kikilezi Female has taken over from her mother, the Ngoboswan Female, and is now the stalwart of leopard viewing close to Mala Mala Main Camp. In total, these animals were seen thirteen times during the game report period. The female and her cub were seen together six times, and on three of these occasions they were feeding on kills. Perhaps the best of these sightings was where the cub was found feeding on a freshly killed impala close to the causeway, while the mother was content to sleep in the riverbed where she had stashed the kill. The mother and cub took turns feeding throughout the day. It is pleasing to note that the cub has become significantly more relaxed in the presence of vehicles.
The Kikilezi Female was seen twice with other male leopards. First, she was found ‘sharing’ an adult female impala kill with the Manyelethi Male close to West Street Bridge. Both leopards were in the same tree, but did not feed simultaneously. They were not overly amicable, nor was there obvious aggression between the two animals. It is not uncommon for male leopards to tolerate females with whom they have mated before. Later in the month the Kikilezi Female and her cub were seen in close proximity to the Manyelethi Male, in the Sand River, not far from the Causeway. It is not known whether there was a kill in the area, but it seems likely that this was the case.
An interesting sighting occurred early during the game report period, when the Kikilezi Female bumped into her mother, The Ngoboswan Female, close to West Street Bridge. The Ngoboswan Female was feeding on a bushbuck kill, and it appeared as if the Kikilezi Female was simply patrolling the southern parts of her territory. The two leopards growled at each other for some time, but never actually came to blows. Eventually the Kikilezi Female moved away. The Ngoboswan Female pursued her for some distance, and then trotted off in the opposite direction. October 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE *5 YEARS Location: WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
The month started off well for the Kikilezi Family as they finished off the impala kill from September in Picadilly Triangle. The leopards were just in time as the following night the Styx Pride moved through the area and actually climbed the tree that the leopards had been in 24 hours previously to investigate if there was any food left.
As with previous months these leopards interacted frequently with the Manyelethi Male, and a strange relationship seems to exist between them. The young cub is extremely inquisitive, and often seems to push his luck with his father. On one occasion when the Kikilezi female had a kill, the Manyelethi Male appeared and appropriated the kill. Other sightings had the three leopards simply bump into each other and socialise for a while before going their separate ways. In any case another good month for this leopard family.
September 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE *4 YEARS 11 MONTHS Location: WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY The Kikilezi Female was seen on eleven occasions during the report period, and all sightings were of her with her cub, or of her heading towards her cub and re-uniting with it. The highlight of the month in terms of her viewing must be her interactions with the Manyelethi Male. These leopards were seen on two occasions feeding from the same kills, no doubt having been made by the Kikilezi Female. The young cub was very curious of the male and followed him around playing with his tail.
The Kikilezi Female is certainly a very good mother and evidently a very good hunter as she was seen on a number of kills. The young cub is relaxing down very nicely and is very relaxed in the presence of landrovers at night. A good month for this leopard family that looks set to continue into October.
August 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE * 4 YEARS 10 MONTHS Location: WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY (14 sightings, 5 of them with her cub)
Sightings of the Kikilezi Female confirmed what had been suspected in July, that one of her cubs is dead. The young cub went missing after a male lion stole a kill that they were feeding on. When seen together, sightings of the Kikilezi Female was with only one cub. These two leopards however provided some fine viewing during August. Sightings of the leopards were concentrated around the Main Camp where the Kikilezi Female hunted and patrolled her territory. The Kikilezi Female proved during August that she is a fine hunter and was found on four different kills, most of which were impala.
She was seen to interact with the Manyelethi Male on at least two occasions, and both times with her cub present. The Manyelethi Male is a past mate of the Kikilezi Female and assumes that the cub is his own, even though she was seen mating with at least one other male leopard just prior to her giving birth. In any case on both occasions the male leopard was in the process of stealing the Kikilezi leopards’ kills. On both occasions the Kikilezi Female and her cub followed the male and hung around in the area hoping to retrieve some of the kill for themselves. The cub is still nervous of vehicles by day, but is fairly relaxed after dark. Other than these sightings the Kikilezi Female had some run-ins with the Styx Pride, having to seek refuge in trees on two occasions. She hunted extensively as any mother with a young cub would, but was not seen to catch any prey whilst in the presence of landrovers during the month.
July 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE * 4
YEARS 9 MONTHS WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY (11 sightings, 6 of them with her cubs)
The Kikilezi leopards had an excellent month and provided some fine viewing. At the start of the report period the female was seen patrolling territory and hunting, two vital activities for a territorial leopard with cubs. Then on the 10th of July she was seen close to Campbell Koppies calling for her cubs, which responded and appeared from some thickets. This area has had a lot of lion activity, with the Styx Pride concealing their cubs on the koppies themselves. In any case, the leopards had disappeared from this area by the following day, and the Kikilezi female was later found a good distance away. Midway through the month the leopards were again seen, this time opposite the main camp. They literally walked into the Manyelethi Male, who did not pay much attention to them. The Kikilezi Female took no chances however, and left the area with her cubs in tow. A few days later the leopards were found on the western bank with the remains of a bushbuck kill. Later in the night the Split Rock Male arrived on the scene and stole the kill, scattering the cubs.
This was the last time that all the leopards were seen together, subsequent sightings were of the female alone, or with only one of her cubs. Could it be that the Split Rock Male managed to find one of the cubs and has killed it? Subsequent sightings certainly suggest that something has happened to this young cub. In any case, the Kikilezi Female continued patrolling and hunting for the remainder of the month. The leopards were found towards the end of the report period on an impala carcass in the lower reaches of the Mlowathi River , with only one cub being seen over the two-day period that they fed on the carcass. June 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE *4
YEARS 8 MONTHS Location: WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY (6 sightings, 2 of them with her cubs) The Kikilezi Female had a solid month, and did exactly what a mother leopard is expected to do, hunt and look after her cubs. The start of this game report period was a busy time for the Kikilezi Female. She was followed on the hunt on two occasions, not meeting any success whilst in the presence of the landrovers, but dedicated to the task at hand. She moved frequently between the Mala Mala Bridge and the southern parts of the Mlowathi, scent marking as she went. She chased the nervous female often seen near the Bridge up a tree one morning, and was not happy to see this leopard in her territory.
Midway through the month she was found with both of her cubs in the lower parts of the Mlowathi itself, the youngsters having been hidden in the rocks in the area. One of the youngsters has relaxed down nicely and provided some excellent viewing, until another female leopard, which was chased away by the Kikilezi Female, disturbed them. She was not seen on any kills, but is in excellent condition and her cubs are looking very healthy and should make it to adolescence, an impressive feat for a first time leopard mother.
May 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE * 4 YEARS 7 MONTHS Location: WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY (14 sightings, 5 of them with her cub/s) The Kikilezi Female had a very good month, and sightings of her with her cubs were frequent towards the latter half of this report period. The first sighting of both cubs was close to the Main Camp, with the mother moving them from one location to another. The cubs are still very small, the mother still carries them in her mouth from time to time, but by the end of the report period they had become very comfortable in the presence of a single landrover and provided some fine viewing. One sighting of this family had them on the old airstrip, minding their own business, when a group of hyenas arrived on the scene. In a flash all the leopards disappeared, and were seen the next day back in the Sand River all safe and sound. Then a few days later the Kikilezi Female was seen chasing 3 young cheetah away from this same area, obviously concerned that they might in some way harm her cubs should they be discovered. With her cubs at an age where they cannot be left on their own for a while, the Kikilezi Female was seen patrolling her territory more frequently than last month. On several occasions she was followed on the hunt, although she was not seen to have any success whilst the vehicles were with her.
April 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE *4 YEARS 6 MONTHS Location: WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY (5 sightings) Again the Kikilezi Female was somewhat scarce in April. She was seen fives times, each time just doing routine patrols. But as mentioned last month, being bound to certain areas by small cubs will probably restrict her movements, resulting in fewer sightings this month. Nothing exciting happened with her in April, but she continues to lactate, which is in itself exciting, as we wait to get a glimpse of her first litter of cubs. March 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE * 4 YEARS 5 MONTHS Location: WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY (2 sightings) The fact that there were only 2 sightings of this often seen leopard suggests that she may have cubs concealed in some inaccessible location, and is somewhat bound to that location. There have also been at least two sightings of a female leopard and one small cub in areas often frequented by the Kikilezi Female. On both occasions, the leopard was not positively identified. The Kikilezi Female is the right age to fall pregnant for the first time, and she has been seen mating with many male leopards over the last year or so. Thus, it is probable that these unconfirmed sightings are indeed the Kikilezi Female with her first litter of cubs. Exciting times could lie ahead with cubs so close to the Mala Mala Main Camp. February 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE *4 YEARS 4 MONTHS Location: NORTH-WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY (9 sightings)
Being one of the favourite leopards of Mala Mala at present, she was seen regularly and along with her relaxed nature and youthful keenness, provided excellent viewing and photographic opportunities. She was followed on a stormy night through the Picadilly area where the weather conditions assisted in her success at catching an adult female impala. She dragged the kill almost 60m but could not find a suitable tree to cache the kill. From tracks in the morning it was evident that she had been robbed of her kill by those ghostly bandits of the abyss, the spotted hyaena.
January 2006 Kikilezi FEMALE *4 YEARS 3 MONTHS Location: NORTH-WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY MalaMala
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