CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE
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CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE Archives: 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 || 2006 || 2007 || 2008
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| December 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 7 YEARS 2 MONTHS Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD, MARTHLY There were relatively few sightings of the Campbell Koppies Female during the report period. Once again, there is every indication that her territory has shifted northwards in an effort to accommodate the recent indepence of her two daughters. Both daughters are still seen around Campbell Koppies, where, as the name suggests, the Campbell Koppies Female used to spend most of her time. It appears that the Campbell Koppies Female is in good health, but there have been no signs that she is pregnant. The only sighting of any consequence occurred in the far northern parts of the reserve, when the female leopard was seen in the same area as an unidentified male leopard. The Campbell Koppies Female seemed to be doing everything to avoid the male leopard, as he roared in her direction, but made no effort to ascend the tree. Eventually the male leopard left the area. The Campbell Koppies Female spent some time in the tree, before she descended and trotted off in the opposite direction to the male leopard.
The now independent daughters of the Campbell Koppies Female were seen far more frequently than their mother during the game report period. As during the previous report period, both leopards were seen around Campbell Koppies, and the lower parts of the Mlowathi.
November 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 7 YEARS 1 MONTH Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD, MARTHLY The highlight for the game report period was when the Campbell Koppies Female was seen mating with the Manyelethi Male, not far from Bicycle Crossing. It is time for this leopard to mate, given that both of her cubs are now independent. It is interesting to note that she is mating with the Manyelethi Male, as it was the Newington Male that fathered her previous litter. It is hoped that this leopard will soon give birth to new cubs, although there was no confirmation of whether or not she was lactating during the latter parts of the game report period.
It seems that the Campbell Koppies Female is spending more and more of her time to the north and west of the area around Campbell Koppies, that was originally considered to be the core of her territory. Whereas she used to be a regular visitor to Piccadilly Triangle, all five sightings of this small female leopard were around Stweiss and the upper reaches of the Mlowathi River. Early in the game report period, the Campbell Koppies Female provided some entertainment when she chased some guinea fowl, causing several birds to panic, only just escaping the claws of the leopard. Other than this incident, there was little hunting activity seen on her part, and she was not seen on any kills.
The now independent daughters of the Campbell Koppies Female were seen far more frequently than their mother during the game report period. One of the daughters has spent much time around the lower reaches of the Mlowathi, while the other has moved south of Campbell Koppies. Both leopards are extremely relaxed and confident. It is hoped that both animals will establish territories on Mala Mala.
October 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 7 YEARS Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD, MARTHLY The Campbell Koppies Female continued with her rare appearances in October, being seen on only two occasions. Both sightings of her were close to the Mlowathi River system, and the leopard was active on both occasions. Has Campbell Koppies Female been away mating with some other male leopard north of Mala Mala and is she now pregnant again? This might well explain her lack of sightings in areas were her daughters have been very active. The fact that her daughters have been seen scent marking in old Campbell Koppies Female territory must surely be disturbing for this leopard, as her territory of old is prime leopard habitat and includes many deep donga and rocky koppies favoured by these cats. November will provide some interesting viewing and might provide some insight as to the lack of sightings of this popular leopard.
The now independent daughters of the Campbell Koppies Female were seen on 27 separate occasions. Both youngsters are very relaxed around vehicles and seem to be adjusting to independence with relative ease. We can only hope these 2 young females continue to prosper and remain on Mala Mala. September 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 6 YEARS 11 MONTHS Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD , MARTHLY The good news in September was the return of the Campbell Koppies Female to Mala Mala. She was seen drinking from Mlowathi Dam in the very northern parts of the property. So where has this female leopard been? She did not appear to be lactating, and perhaps with the strong presence of the Styx Pride in this area had taken refuge further north. Her daughters continued to be very active within her territory and this must be of some concern to her. Other than that she appeared well and it is hoped that she returns to her old haunts again soon.
The now independent daughters of the Campbell Koppies Female were seen on a number of occasions during the report period. With the unexplained absence of their mother these two leopards are making the most of it and roaming throughout her territory. They were each seen on a few small kills and are in superb condition.
August 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 6 YEARS 10 MONTHS Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD, MARTHLY (0 sightings) Strangely there were no confirmed sightings of the Campbell Koppies Female during the report period. Her one now independent daughter was often seen in what must be considered Campbell Koppies territory. Just where this leopard is, is unknown. She might well have been active on the property and just not seen or perhaps she was off mating with some or other male leopard in a neighbouring property. The now independent daughters of the Campbell Koppies Female were seen on a number of occasions on Marthly. It seems likely that at least one of the daughters is in the process of setting up a territory on Marthly, this one seen much more frequently than her sibling, who was only seen once during the report period. This might also explain the absence of their mother, the Campbell Koppies Female, from this area. July 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 6 YEARS 9 MONTHS Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD , MARTHLY (2 sightings) There were surprisingly only two sightings of the Campbell Koppies Female during July. The first was of her flirting with the Bicycle Crossing Male, a certain sign that she has abandoned her cubs. The male leopard showed no signs of wanting to mate with her, and went about his usual business. The Campbell Koppies Female followed him all day, but no mating was seen to occur. The other sighting of this leopard was of her chasing one of her daughters around. The nearly two year old daughters of the Campbell Koppies Female can expect more hostility from there mother should their paths cross again in the future, especially if the Campbell Koppies Female is coming into oestrus again.
The now independent daughters of the Campbell Koppies Female were seen on a number of occasions on Marthly. June 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES
FEMALE *6
YEARS 8 MONTHS Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD , MARTHLY (11 sightings of the female, 2 of them with one or both her cub(s); 10 of cub(s) without mother) Sightings of the Campbell Koppies during this report period confirmed what had been suspected for some time now, that she has abandoned her cubs. She was seen frequently up in the Mlowathi, as well as on western Marthly. On two occasions she was found in the company of one of her daughters. The first time the pair was sharing a Vervet monkey kill, and the Campbell Koppies Female showed a lot of hostility towards her daughter. The second time she was seen with her offspring was in the Manyelethi, an area where her offspring have been spending much of their time. The moment the young leopard saw her mother she jumped up and ran in the opposite direction, a clear sign that they now consider each other as rivals. Indeed this same youngster has been seen scent marking around Stwise, and this would certainly not go down well with her mother. Female leopards often relinquish a small portion of their ever changing territory to their cubs to give them a start in life and perhaps this is what the Campbell Koppies Female has done.
But perhaps the most telltale sign of their separation was that the Campbell Koppies Female was seen at the start of this report period in the presence of the Newington Male. No mating was seen to occur, but the leopard followed the male during his patrols and was seen way out of her territory. This is a clear sign that she is perhaps coming back into oestrus, and looking for a mate. It is evident that the bond between these leopards has weakened and the youngsters can expect little in the way of sympathy if they encounter their mother in the future. On the last day of this report period the Campbell Koppies Female was found with a klipspringer kill. This female seems to have a knack of being able to catch these elusive antelope, something that is by no means an easy feat. There have been less than 10 klipspringer kills recorded at Mala Mala, and this family of leopards has accounted for at least 4 of these.
May 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE *6
YEARS 7 MONTHS Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD , MARTHLY (4 sightings of the female, 2 of them with one or both her cubs; 8 of cubs without mother) The Campbell Koppies Female had another good month, but was seen less and less with her cubs. This can be expected as the cubs are fast approaching the age of independence, and are spending more and more time apart from their mother and one another. When see with their mother, the Campbell Koppies Female was leading the one cub to a dead male impala that she had killed near Mlowathi dam. The next few sightings of the female were of her hunting and patrolling her territory. Then on the very last day of the report period the female leopard was seen in the presence of the Newington Male. She was flirting outrageously with him, but no mating was seen to occur. The next day she was found way out of territory, no doubt having followed the Newington Male on his nocturnal patrol. So with the Campbell Koppies Female seemingly wanting to mate again, the future looks uncertain for the young leopards and it can’t be too much longer now before they are chased off by their mother to start a life of their own.
April 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 6
YEARS 6 MONTHS Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD , MARTHLY (9 sightings of the female, 8 of them with one or both her cubs; 11 of cubs without mother) Again these leopards dominated the leopard viewing in the North of Mala Mala. While the Campbell Koppies Female may start to sever times with her cubs and start them on the road to independence in the coming months, she provided wonderfully for her daughters in April. On three occasions during the game report period, all three leopards were seen together on adult male impala kills, twice on the lower reaches of Mlowathi River and once in Picadilly Triangle. On the third occasion, the actual kill was seen in broad daylight in Picadilly Triangle. While watching a group of male impala rutting, one lucky ranger and his guests saw the Campbell Koppies Female (whom they did not even know was in the area) explode from the adjacent bush and catch one of the rutting male impalas. After suffocating the antelope, she dragged the carcass east into impenetrable bush. Later that morning, while returning from a walk, rangers found the Campbell Koppies Female busy leading both her cubs back to the kill. Excellent viewing was had over the next two days as all three leopards fed alternately on the kill. Eventually though, the Newington Male discovered the kill and stole it. He hoisted it high up a Marula tree and also provided great viewing for the next night as he finished off the carcass. Fortunately, the Campbell Koppies Female and both cubs had sufficient time to have a good feed prior to the theft of the carcass. These cubs will no doubt prosper from these kills provided by their mother and are already roughly the size of their mother. It will be interesting to see how much longer these free meals will be provided, as these three leopards will no doubt go their separate ways within the next six months. March 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE *
6 YEARS 5 MONTHS Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD , MARTHLY (3 sightings of the female, 2 of them with one or both her cubs; 6 of cubs without mother) Although often seen, there was not much to report with these popular leopards during the March Game Report period. Again, most of the sightings were restricted to the Marthly and Western Eyrefield areas. Both cubs were seen feeding on the remains of an adult female impala late in the game report period, around Mlowathi Koppies. Although not seen at the kill, the Campbell Koppies Female no doubt made the kill, and led her cubs back to it. These treats from their mother will become rarer in the future as these cubs head ever more steadily to independence. February 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 6 YEARS
4 MONTH Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD , MARTHLY (7 sightings of the female, 2 of them with one or both her cubs; 6 of cubs without mother)
All appears to be well with this popular family of leopards and again in February, these leopards provided reliable viewing in the beautiful areas on and around Marthly. The vast majority of the sightings of the cubs were of them without their mother, as has been the case over the last few months. As has happened with the cubs of the Jakkalsdraai Female, the cubs of the Campbell Koppies Female are fast approaching independence, which is normally attained between 18 and 24 months of age. While these cubs do still rely on their mother to lead them back to her own kills, one of them displayed some remarkable hunting skills for a young leopard in catching and killing a juvenile impala in broad daylight. Unfortunately for the young impala, the inexperienced leopard did not really know how to despatch its victim and the impala suffered for over an hour before eventually succumbing to its wounds. In the afternoon, all three leopards were at the carcass, and the triumphant young leopard had to reluctantly share its kill with its relatives. It must be remembered that one of these cubs also killed a baby klipspringer in July 2005, at the age of only 9 months! So, these cubs definitely seem well equipped for independence when it comes in the not too distant future.
At another sighting involving all three leopards, the scant remains of an adult male Klipspringer carcass was found on the middle reaches of the Tlebe Rocks Donga. While the kill was not observed, it is again interesting to note another Klipspringer being killed, as these antelope are very elusive in their rocky habitats and in over 42 years at Mala Mala, this is only the sixth Klipspringer kill recorded. Two of these Klipspringer kills have been attributed to the Campbell Koppies Female and another one to her cub. January 2006 CAMPBELL KOPPIES FEMALE * 6 YEARS 3 MONTH Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD , MARTHLY
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