MalaMala - The Wildlife

The Dudley Female was seen several times fairly far east of the Sand River on western Flockfield, an area of the reserve not really thought of as being her territory. Previous sightings of her inside this area have been temporary, for mating purposes. So what is she doing now? Is the Dudley Female trying to expand her range so that she can be in more regular contact with the Rock Drift Male, the leopard which she mated with, or is she looking for a more productive hunting ground? Or, perhaps, is she simply trying to send a message to the two-year-old daughter of the Kapen Female, herself land-hungry, that she is still powerful and should be respected.

One of the sightings of the Dudley Female was of her and the daughter of the Kapen Female both eyeing out an impala being torn apart by some hyaenas. The Dudley Female had probably killed the impala and the younger leopard had almost certainly been attracted to the scene, hoping to scavenge something. So engrossed were the leopards with the hyaenas and the kill, that they were unaware of one another's' presence until they were but a few metres apart. Then, meat forgotten, the Dudley Female tore after the younger leopard which turned and fled. No physical harm was done, but the Dudley Female certainly emerged the psychological victor.

November 2003

Location: WESTERN FLOCKFIELD & WEST (mating in central-southern Mala Mala)
(6 confirmed sightings)

Three of the sightings of the Dudley Female this month were of her together with the Rock Drift Male, mating being the objective. The two stayed together for perhaps six days (there were days in between when contact was lost with them), almost certainly mating for much of that time.

October 2003

(3 confirmed sightings)
The Dudley Female was seen courting the Rock Drift Male, father and killer of her last cub - a display of really basic instincts. Although the two were not seen mating, it's highly likely that they did.

The only other two sightings of the Dudley Female over this report-period occurred at the end when she was seen with an adult female impala kill which she had taken from the two-year-old daughter of the Kapen Female. The carcass of the impala was on the ground and, in really spectacular style, the Dudley Female dragged it into a tree and spent the next couple of days feeding on it.

September 2003

(5 confirmed sighting the female, 1 of these with her cub)
The Dudley Females' son was killed this month. The mother then ate the cub's body. The exact circumstances surrounding the cubs' death will never be completely understood, but indications are that the Rock Drift Male killed the young leopard. When the leopards were first found, the Rock Drift Male and the Dudley Female were in the vicinity of an impala carcass which had been hoisted into a Sausage Tree and it was simply assumed that there would be, with the necessary diplomacy, a sharing of the kill. After all, this has been witnessed many times and the Rock Drift Male has almost become synonymous with concept of an ideal leopard father, one which quite willingly shares food with 'his' females and offspring. But this was not the case. When the Dudley Female climbed the tree to feed after the Rock Drift Male had descended, he could hardly have been more aggressive and chased her off, forcing her to climb to the very top branches of the tree whilst he stood guard over the kill, growling threateningly at her. And then, twenty or so metres from the tree, in tall grass, movement drew attention to the Dudley Females' cub. The young leopard was lying nearby, barely alive, with two puncture wounds in his head, these injuries consistent with those one would expect from a savage bite delivered by a powerful predator.

The next morning the Rock Drift Male was still in the immediate area of the impala carcass, treating it as he would any other kill. A couple of hundred meters away, however, the carcass of the Dudley Female's cub had been taken into a large Jackalberry Tree and had been partly fed upon. Over the next two or three days, the Dudley Female was seen to return and feed from her son until she had eaten it completely.

One wonders just what led to the death of the cub; all evidence suggests that the Rock Drift Male killed it. But why? That he is the father of the cub is almost without doubt; he and the Dudley Female were seen mating in August last year and a cub was produced after the expected pregnancy following such a mating. And the two have certainly met up before; there has been at least one sighting where the Rock Drift Male, the Dudley Female and her cub have all been seen together and seemingly content.

August 2003

(2 confirmed sighting the female, 1 of these with her cub)
The Dudley Female was seen to only once 'invade' the western limits of the Kapen Females' territory, and this for less than 12 hours when she hunted (with little enthusiasm it seems) this area. The single sighting of her and her son was just south of Harry's Camp, when she was seen calling to him and then heading south and east with him, presumably to some or other kill which she had made.

July 2003

(3 confirmed sighting the female, one of these with her cub)
The Dudley Female spends relatively little time on Mala Mala, residing mostly to the west of the reserve. But, importantly for the Kapen Female, the leopard holding the land to the east of the Dudley Female, this months viewing suggested that there were really no serious border violations as were witnessed some weeks before.

June 2003

(1 confirmed sighting of both mother and cub)
The leopard that has in the last year or so taken over the Newington Females' territory will be known as the Dudley Female. She was seen with an impala kill outside of Harry's Camp midway through last year and then, in August, mated with the Rock Drift Male. Amongst other encounters with this leopard, she was seen towards the end of November, noticeably pregnant. Her territory is to the west of that occupied by the Kapen Female and it is assumed that the Sand River divides their respective territories.

Last month, the Kapen and the Dudley Females interacted around a bushbuck, this probably killed by the Dudley Female. This month another get-together occurred when the Rock Drift Male killed a warthog in the riverbed and then had both female leopards and their cubs arrive to partake in the feast. This was the first sighting of the cub of the Dudley Female and the youngster was quite relaxed in the presence of vehicles. All leopards at the scene of the kill were aware of one another and a generally hostile meal ensued.

There were almost certainly other sightings of the Dudley Female and her cub during the month, but circumstances prevented positive identification. These two leopards probably spend most of their time on the property Dudley which is to the west of Mala Mala.