December 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 13 YEARS 3 MONTHS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(1 sighting)
Only one sighting of this female leopard during the report period. She was found mating with the Bicycle Crossing male near Flockfield Boma crossing. If history is anything to go by then we should hopefully see some new Dudley cubs in the next few months.
November 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 13 YEARS 2 MONTHS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(0 sightings)
There were no sightings of this leopard for the report period.
October 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 13 YEARS 1 MONTH
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(0 sightings)
September 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 13 YEARS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(2 sightings)
With her son fully independent, this female is trying to have another litter of cubs. The two sightings that we had of her, she was mating with the Bicycle Crossing male leopard close to Rattrays Camp. If she does manage to, it would most probably be her last litter. She would 15 by the next time she could mate again, which would be too old.
August 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 12 YEARS 11 MONTHS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(1 sighting)
She was spotted once with the remains of a Guinea fowl kill close to Rattrays Camp. From what we could tell she looked healthy and in good condition.
July 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 12 YEARS 10 MONTHS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(1 sighting)
One sighting of this female.
June 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 12 YEARS 9 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 23 MONTHS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(1 sighting of female alone, 1 sighting of female with cub, 3 sightings of cub alone)
No surprise at the low number of sightings of this female again this month (although last month she wasn't seen at all). The Tamboti female has obviously been a powerful force within the female leopard contentions. What was nice was that she had made a duiker kill at Flockfield Boma Crossing, which gave us a stable sighting for a day. The son that is now nearly two years old was taken to the kill by his mother, so while he is mostly on his own he is still reliant on mom for food.
May 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 12 YEARS 8 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 22 MONTHS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(0 sightings of female alone, 0 sighting of female with cub, 3 sighting of cub alone)
The female wasn't seen the entire month, but her male offspring was. This suggests she has forced him into independence and moved back to her old more traditional territories to our south and west. But with a very strong presence being shown by the Tamboti female around the river between the two MalaMala camps, the Dudley female could have lost some territory. We hope that she is still fit and healthy and more present next month.
April 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 12 YEARS 7 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 21 MONTHS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(3 sightings of female alone, 4 sighting of female with cub, 4 sighting of cub alone)
This pair was seen relatively often during this last month, with the young male now towering over his mother. They are still found on the Western bank as this is the eastern part of her territory. Most of the sightings have been around Flockfield tower, where the young male was seen on many occasions trying his hand at hunting Franklin. However, his inexperience has come to the fore on more than one occasion as he tends to leave his tail sticking out well above the grass, giving his position away. Now approaching 2 years old, he has been seen more and more on his own. One would suspect that in the near future he will leave the comfort of his mother's care and face the reality of the bush.
March 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 12 YEARS 6 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 20 MONTHS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(2 sightings of female alone, 0 sighting of female with cub, 0 sighting of cub alone)
The Dudley female was spotted twice close to Rattrays camp alone. Her cub is now fast approaching the age of independence and lets hope she can push him out sooner rather than later like the Matshipiri female. The female is in great condition and looked well fed on both occasions.
February 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 12 YEARS 5 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 19 MONTHS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(0 sightings of female alone, 0 sighting of female with cub, 1 sighting of cub alone)
With only one sighting of either of these two there is not much to comment on, the sighting was seen in the usual place for these leopards which suggests that little has changed. With the young male getting older he is likely to be seen on his own more and more often.
January 2011
DUDLEY FEMALE 12 YEARS 3 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 17 MONTHS
WESTERN FLOCKFIELD
(0 sightings of female alone, 2 sighting of female with cub, 0 sighting of cub alone)
No change in the movements of these two leopards with the two sightings been in close proximity to Rattray’s camp. The exceptional sighting of these two leopards was with the Bicycle Crossing male (read under Bicycle Crossing male).
