Kikilezi FEMALE
Born October 2001

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Kikilezi Female - Photographed by Matt Meyer

December 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 9 YEARS 2 MONTHS
1 FEMALE CUB 12 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(6 sightings of female, 2 sightings of female and cub, 1 sighting of cub alone)

The pair continue to do well, sightings of the two have been down slightly in December but that can be traced to the birthing season of the impalas. The Kikilezi female is a renowned master in the art of killing baby impala’s and most early summer months we struggle to find her due to the fact she has tiny carcasses hanging in trees all over her territory. The cub is doing very well and is learning the trade well from her mother, lets hope she makes to independence and we can add another beautiful female of the Ngoboswan linage to our list.

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November 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 9 YEARS 1 MONTH
1 FEMALE CUB 11 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(5 sightings of female alone; 3 sightings of female and cub; 1 sighting of cub alone)

The last few months have seen a drop in sightings of these two charismatic leopards. The reason been owed to the drop is probably the fact that they are still spending more time around the Manyelethi River, Stwise and Poliwe area on Marthly. A beautiful but rugged terrain , which allows the female better protection of her remaining cub. The pair did have an encounter with a lioness during the month but thankfully they were able to utilize the terrain to their advantage and make good their escape. On times when the Kikilezi female has been able to get away from her motherly tasks and go about scent marking and making sure that there are no females trespassing in her territory she has been able to make her way as far south as West Street Bridge and occasionally has forays that take her into the Mlowathi River region.

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October 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 9 YEARS
1 FEMALE CUB 10 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(3 sightings of female alone; 6 sightings of female and cub; 0 sighting of cub alone)

The pair is doing very well; the cub is growing quickly and has become completely relaxed in the presence of vehicles. The female has shifted into the Marthly region of Mala Mala and so sightings of the two have become less frequent. During the month we saw them on several kills including one that was stolen by the Styx pride. A large female, the Kikilezi female has got an excellent track record with raising cubs and so far she has done an excellent job with the female cub let’s hope she can continue with the great mothering.

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September 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 8 YEARS 11 MONTHS
1 FEMALE CUB 9 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(3 sightings of female alone; 6 sightings of female and cub; 1 sighting of cub alone)
She and her cub proved very elusive this month. The pair have moved into Marthly and so it’s become increasingly hard to find them. The pair did make several appearances to the Mlowathi and that’s where many of the sightings were often involving some kind of kill. The young female cub is growing up fast and is incredibly relaxed with the presence of vehicles, she has also shown a desire to climb every tree in the vicinity which has also proved a hit with guests, she is quickly becoming a very popular female and if she makes to independence will hopefully continue her grandmothers great name and become the darling of Mala Mala.

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August 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 8 YEARS 10 MONTHS
1 CUB 8 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(5 sightings of female alone; 3 sightings of female and cub; 0 sighting of cub alone)

This female has been covering a lot of ground and she has been seen from West Street to all the way north of Main Camp and on both sides of the river. Her cub has not been seen much but we have had sightings about once a week, just enough for us to know that she is still alive and well. The Kikilezi female seems to be hiding her in very thick bush and deep gullies, maybe protecting her now that it is confirmed that she has lost her two male cubs from this litter. She has been found scenting and even roaring and she has been very active giving great viewing. She was even seen making an impala kill towards the end of the month but her prize was stolen from her by a hyeana. On a whole both mother and cub seem fine and the Kikilezi female seems to be working hard in ensuring no other female takes any part of her territory.

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July 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 8 YEARS 9 MONTHS
2 CUBS 7 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(5 sightings of female alone; 15 sighting of female and cubs; 4 sighting of cubs alone)

This very big and healthy female continues to be a very good mother and has made many kills, providing for her cubs. With the one male being lost last month and thus dying she has had only two to look after, a male and a female. In one week the Kikilezi female made 4 different kills, providing for her cubs. One the one sub-adult duiker kill, although it was meant for the whole family the little male took control and growled, snarled and chased not only his sister off but even his mother, nearly eating the whole duiker himself. This behaviour is not unusual, as being a male leopard is hard and to become a dominant male he will need this aggression and temperament if he wishes to survive.
However a sad blow came in the middle of the month, yet again the Kikilezi female made a kill, this time a bushbuck and hid it at the base of a very thick Spike-thorn tree, called her cubs and led them to feed. However just as the sun was setting. Out of the blue, the Styx pride arrived and chased the leopards off, but we heard crying, and growling like that of a baby leopard and then lions attacking. We could not establish what had happened and there were no signs of a carcass. A few days later the Kikilezi female was found unharmed and she was in the same area calling for her cubs. She then moved off, with no cubs in sight and led the Land Rover to a male impala kill. That afternoon, she went off again calling and returned with the female cub, which spent the rest of the day and the next with her mother and the kill. They then moved off and a few days later were found again. Still no sign of the brother, it had been over a week since the attack by the Styx pride so our suspicions were true, if he was not killed, like we think he was, then there is no way he would be able to survive without milk or food on his own. However the Kikilezi female has always raised at least one cub in every litter, so let’s hope disaster avoids this female cub and her mother.

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June 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 8 YEARS 8 MONTHS
3 CUBS 6 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(6 sightings of female alone; 6 sighting of female and cubs; 1 sighting of cub alone)

Another great month of viewing of this female and her cubs. They have become very relaxed around the vehicles and the interaction between cubs and cubs and mother provide great viewing for guests and rangers alike. The cubs have been enjoying solid food with regular kills being provided by their mother, who is a very successful hunter as well as mother. Also a highlight has been the Kikilezi female bringing a live scrub hare back to the cubs to learn how to kill and develop the skills they will need in the future. However the down side to the month has been the loss of one of the cubs, He went missing at the beginning of the month and separated from the rest. He was seen on one day by himself far away from the rest of the cubs and his mother. However he had not been seen for over 2 weeks at the end of the month and with no way of looking after himself and with his siblings and mother not being able to find him we presume him to be dead. But it has been a great month for both mother and cubs and they all seem in good condition with the Kikilezi female being such a successful mother and hunter the future seems good. In the last week of the month the Kikilezi female made 4 kills, that alone shows how successful this female is, she learnt well from her mother the Ngoboswan female.

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May 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 8 YEARS 7 MONTHS
3 CUBS 5 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(3 Sightings of female alone; 12 sighting of female and cubs; 0 sighting of cub alone)

She continues to house her cubs between the Manyalethi and Mlowathi rivers but with them on a meat diet the group is on the move a lot. She made an impala kill at lower Mlowathi crossing which was there for three days so many guests go to see the amazingly unique sighting of three young leopard cubs. The little female cub has started to relax down and when the vehicles are off she happily moves about in the open. The impala finally got stolen by a hyaena when one of the cubs dropped it out of the tree. Another fascinating sighting was in small paraffin drift, she was found with two cubs and a male leopard in the morning but the sighting didn’t last long as the two different parties went their separate ways. Then in the afternoon the female was found again with all three cubs and the male turned out to be the Emsagwen male. The male finished off the impala kill while the cubs and mother played in the river bed. As the evening set in the daughter of the Campbell Koppies female walked into the area looking for the Emsagwen male but instead finding the highly aggressive and protective Kikilezi female. The two female had a brief confrontation before the younger took off. Towards the end of the month she was tracked down to another kill in the Mlowathi river and all three cubs were present. Amazing as it is how much longer can she keep all three cubs alive? Let’s hope for a long time.

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April 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 8 YEARS 6 MONTHS
3 CUBS 4 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(1 Sightings of female alone; 12 sighting of female and cub; 0 sighting of cub alone)

All three cubs are still doing extremely well. Two of them are very relaxed in the presence of a vehicle, while the third occasionally shows timid ness. At the end of the first week of the month the mother had led all three cubs to an adult male impala carcass to the east of Fred’s tree where they spent two days feeding and playing. Regarding the protocol of vehicles with the cubs; the first two weeks it was restricted to a one vehicle sighting and then midway through the month we introduced a second vehicle and this seemed to be no concern or strain on the female or cubs. The statistics of the sightings show that all the sightings of them were of all four together and only once was she by herself, which shows that she is still spending the majority of time with the cubs. Most of the times the Kikilezi female and her cubs were spotted in the lower reaches of the Mlowathi River and the Manyalethi River all the way from the confluence of the Sand River up to Poliwe Koppie.

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March 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 8 YEARS 5 MONTHS
3 CUBS 3 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(6 Sightings of female alone; 6 sighting of female and cub; 1 sighting of cub alone)

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Febuary 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 8 YEARS 4 MONTHS
3 CUBS 2 MONTHS
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(4 Sightings of female alone; 15 sighting of female and cub; 5 sighting of cub alone)

Towards he end of the month she changed her den site from Mlowathi koppies to some rocks on Gowrie trust road. Fortunately rangers found her the day she moved the cubs and for the very first time we got a clear view of all three cubs as he repositioned them in the new den. Then in the middle of the month she moved den sites again, this time to rocks in the Mlowathi River south of Mlowathi crossing. This fourth den site looks to be the best and by the end of the month she still has her cubs hidden there. Towards the middle of the month rangers found the Emsagwen male sniffing around her den site and waited with baited breath to see what his reaction would be to the cubs. The two sightings of him near the den site were peaceful and there was some interaction between him and the cubs but the Kikilezi female wouldn’t let him onto the rocks for a closer look. Thankfully he believed the cubs were his and this will give the cubs a greater chance of survival in the future, as he will be indirectly protecting them by keeping all other males out of the area.

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January 2010

KIKELEZI FEMALE 8 YEARS 3 MONTHS
3 CUBS 1 MONTH
WESTERN MALA MALA, MARTHLY
(11 sightings of female, 3 sightings of female and cubs; 1 sightings of cub alone)

After her sudden disappearance last month there was great excitement this month when she was found on the 1st of January. She was lactating! The female had given birth sometime towards the end of December and now was out of the den back patrolling. She became a regular sighting around the Piccadilly, lower Mlowathi area and on the 5th of the month we found out why. With it being an overcast rainy day rangers got a later start and were soon rewarded when this female was found close to Mlowathi koppies. The Kikilezi female walked straight to the western koppie and climbed up to the top. Soon afterwards audio of cubs came from behind the bushes, she had lead rangers to her den site. Then on the 20th of the month rangers watched her move into her den site but just as she approached the lip of the den she called softly and suddenly three tiny heads appeared from behind the rocks. Three cubs is a rarity and she has done amazingly well so far, lets see how long she can keep them all alive.