CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE
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| December 2004 CAMPBELL
KOPPIES FEMALE * 5 YEARS 3 MONTHS Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD/ NORTHERN MALA
MALA
There was much excitement around the middle of this game report period, when the cubs of the Campbell Koppies Female were seen for the first time. It appeared that the cubs were about 3 months old, and first reports suggested that one was a male and one a female. It may be a little difficult to be certain of their gender at such a young age. Interestingly, the cubs were both quite relaxed in the presence of vehicles from the beginning. Nonetheless, the sighting was restricted to one vehicle at a time, and this should pay off in the long term. The cubs were seen in a gully system to the west and slightly south of Mlowathi Dam. This first sighting took place when a vehicle followed the Campbell Koppies Female on the move, and she suddenly began to call, whereupon two little cubs came out to greet her!
The cubs were seen on three consecutive days, and then not again. The female is still lactating, however, and all should be well with her cubs. She has been seen to hunt in the vicinity of Mlowathi Dam on a couple of occasions, and it is likely that the cubs are still in one of the gully systems to the west of this water hole. Importantly, vehicles are not permitted to be driven extensively in the bush and gullies in this vicinity, searching for the cubs. In good time, they will again be seen. November 2004 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 5 YEARS 2 MONTHS Location: SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA
(7 sightings) October 2004 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 5 YEARS 1 MONTH Location: SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA (2
sightings)  
Very interesting, however, is the fact that the Campbell Koppies Female seems to be lactating. Just how old her cubs are and who the father is, is not known. It is thought that she lost her first litter of cubs earlier this year, and we know that in the past, she did mate with the Newington Male. Her movements could suggest the possibility that her cubs are stashed somewhere to the west of the Mlowathi River, probably in some of the rocky outcrops to the north of the Manyeleti. September 2004 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 5 YEARS Location: SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA (3 sightings) Seen only three times in September, the Campbell Koppies Female continues to be a leopard sighted relatively infrequently, given that her territory is an area very frequently worked. She is a totally relaxed leopard, and not one that would go out of her way to avoid Land Rovers. On one occasion she was so busy sniffing around the Picadilly area, while on the hunt, that she failed to notice several lions (Styx Pride), lying in an open area not many metres from her. One of the lions gave chase, and the leopard had to move very quickly to get up a tree before the lion reached her! She remained up the tree for several minutes, until the lions lost interest in her, and then descended, after which she bolted in a northerly direction, by-passing the lions and a male leopard nearby. August 2004 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 4 YEARS 11 MONTHS Location: SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA (6 sightings)
All is well with the Campbell Koppies Female, but there is no evidence to suggest that she still has a cub or cubs. It is not too unusual for a young female leopard to lose a cub to other predators. The Campbell Koppies Female continues to provide good viewing in her territory, which is prime leopard territory, encompassing plenty of rocky outcrops, parts of the Mlowathi and Manyeleti river systems, as well as the game-rich Picadilly area. July 2004 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE (Daughter of the Ngoboswan Female) * 4 YEARS 10 MONTHS Location: SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA (4 sightings)   
The Campbell Koppies Female seems to still be flourishing, although there are sometimes relatively long gaps between sightings of this relaxed female leopard. She is mainly active in the area east of the Sand River, close to the confluence of the Mlowathi and Sand, and north of the Picadilly area. Sightings of her during July were mostly of an active leopard hunting and scent-marking. It seems likely that she has lost her cub, as there has not been any sign of a cub of the right sort of age within her territory during the past month.   
June 2004
May 2004 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE (Daughter of the Ngoboswan Female) * 4 YEARS 8 MONTHS Location: SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA (4 sightings) The Campbell Koppies Female was seen mating with the Newington Male this month, an event which might indicate that she's lost the litter which she gave birth to perhaps four months ago. But the two leopards were seen mating only twice and the whole process appeared rather more ritualistic than serious. A few days after it had occurred a leopard cub, approximately four-months-old, was seen in an area patrolled by the Campbell Koppies Female. All indications are that this cub belonged to the Campbell Koppies Female.
Towards the end of the report-period, the Campbell Koppies Female was seen descending from the top of the very eastern-most of the Campbell Koppies where, one might hope, she still has her cubs hidden. So there's definitely still hope for whatever cubs she gave birth to. When the Newington Male and Campbell Koppies Female were seen together, the male leopard killed an impala shortly after they'd been seen to mate, took it up a tree when a hyaena arrived on the scene and then refused to let the female share the meal, acting with great aggression whenever she tried to approach. April 2004 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE (Daughter of the Ngoboswan Female) * 4 YEARS 7 MONTHS Location: SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA (4 sightings)
Towards the beginning of the month, indications were that the Campbell Koppies Female still had her less-than-three-month-old cubs hidden in the Campbell Koppies. Later on, however, there were some hints that she may have moved them, perhaps towards the Manyelethi River. With the general area of her territory well patrolled by lions, these also with small cubs, the Campbell Koppies Female must have been quite worried. Hopefully though the cubs have survived and, as they enter the meat-eating stage, they'll be seen for the first time. March 2004 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE (Daughter of the Ngoboswan Female) * 4 YEARS 6 MONTHS Location:
SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA All evidence suggests that the Campbell Koppies Females' first litter of cubs is still alive and well and hidden in some nook or cranny in the westernmost hills of the Campbell Koppies. Nevertheless, one major concern for this leopard simply must be that the Styx Pride lions have also been frequenting these hills, using them as a resting point for their older cubs and as a springboard for their hunting operations. It would come as no surprise then if the Campbell Koppies Female soon decides to move her youngsters to some other place of safety, somewhere a fraction more out of the way of the lions.
Towards the end of the month the Campbell Koppies Female spent 24 hours in the same area, watching the Styx Pride lions as they lay on one of the Campbell Koppies. The lions had also seen the leopard, but made no move to head in her direction. A few days before this, the lions ascended the hills only minutes after the Campbell Koppies Female had slunk away from the hills, almost certainly having just finished suckling her cubs. February 2004 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE (Daughter of the Ngoboswan Female) * 4 YEARS 5 MONTHS Location: EASTERN MARTHLY/ SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA Indications are that the Campbell Koppies Female has given birth to what is almost certainly her first litter, this towards the beginning of February, and has hidden whatever cubs have been born in some area of safety on the Campbell Koppies. The father of these cubs is, in all likelihood, the Newington Male.
The first sighting of the Campbell Koppies Female this month involved her venturing into the northern parts of her mothers' territory, meeting up with the Short Tail Male (which may very well be her father), killing an impala, then returning to feed her cubs. However, in her absence, the Ngoboswan Female (her mother) pitched up and took over, only to be replaced later by the Short Tail Male himself. When the Campbell Koppies Female returned, the Short Tail Male dominated the carcass and refused the Campbell Koppies Female access to it. Fortunately the Campbell Koppies managed to kill another impala soon after this and, although the Newington Male passed close by to where she had hidden the carcass, failed to spot it and she had it all to herself.
Other than that, the Campbell Koppies Female was seen patrolling in some of the far-flung corners of her territory, areas she'll perhaps be unable to visit very regularly when her cubs are larger and demand ever-increasing quantities of food. Hopefully this young leopard will have success with this litter of cubs and won't, through a lack of experience, make any fatal errors. January 2004 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE (Daughter of the Ngoboswan Female) * 4 YEARS 4 MONTHS Location:
SW EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA The three sightings of the Campbell Koppies Female this month had her at different corners of her territory and patrolling as any territorial leopard should.
With there being relatively little contact with this young leopard over the last few months, there hasn't been any sighting of her mating. Nevertheless, as she is approaching four-and-a-half-years of age and well and truly in control of her territory, it shouldn't be long now before a first litter is produced. The Newington Male appears to control the land that includes her territory.
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