May 2008

NORTHWESTERN MALAMALA, MARTHLY (10 sightings)

This Male leopard continues to prosper in Marthly, despite the frequency of so many strong male leopards to the south. He has been sighted frequently around the causeway and it seems that his territory does not extend very far south from Campbell Koppies, although on one occasion he ventured as far south as West Street bridge area where he killed a young Nyala. On another occasion during the report period this old male leopard killed an adult male impala in the same position. He managed to tree the carcass minutes before hyenas arrived on the scene. His reluctance to venture southwards of his core territory is no doubt a result of the fact that the Emsagwen Male Leopard is dominating the territory around the Matshapiri. In time there will be more interaction between these two leopards as they continue to redefine the boundaries of their respective territories.

April 2008

MANYELETHI MALE +/- 10 YEARS

Location: NORTHWESTERN MALAMALA, MARTHLY
(5 sightings)

The Manyelethi male has been surprisingly absent this month. With the Emsagwen male making frequent advances into the Manyelethi male’s territory one would expect to see him on his eastern boundary more often, repelling the attempts of the Emsagwen male. They have already had a territorial dispute with the Manyelethi male appearing to be the victor of that competition, however it has not deterred the Emsagwen male who was back in that area not long after the battle. This interaction occurred on the very first day of this report period. Since then, when seen, the Manyelethi male has indeed been on the eastern edges of his territory scent marking, often around the Campbell Koppies and Planks Pan areas.

January 2008

MANYELETHI MALE +/- 10 YEARS

Location: NORTHWESTERN MALAMALA, MARTHLY
(8 sightings)

This leopard has made some large shifts in his territory into MalaMala. Since the Bicycle Crossing male has moved south towards Flockfield and Charleston, the Manyelethi male has been unchallenged as he moves deeper into MalaMala. He has been seen frequently around the Piccadilly pans area and Campbell Koppies, and as far south as the Matshapiri open area. In the past he seldom ventured further east than the Manyelethi River. In a spectacular sighting he was seen to fight a hyena over the remains of an impala kill in the Matshapiri open area. This leopard has been particularly successful in hunting as he was seen on successive days with the remains of at least two adult impalas. We can only hope that this large male sets up his territory much deeper into MalaMala as he is a wonderful leopard to watch.