HLARULINI MALE
Archives: 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007
Hlarulini male - Photograph by ranger Bruce Hedges
| HLARULINI MALE Archives: 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007
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| November 2007 HLARULINI MALE (0 sightings) This male leopard has not been seen since April and one starts to think the worst could have happened. The last time he was seen was after he caught a large adult male baboon. He must have had a huge fight to kill this animal and had a lot of open wounds on his body. It is unusual for leopards to succumb to their wounds but once in a while it does happen. Rangers and guests alike will miss this large male leopard. May 2007 HLARULINI MALE Location: NORTH-WESTERN TOULON, CHARLESTON, SOUTH-WESTERN FLOCKFIELD Sadly there was only one, unconfirmed, sighting of the Hlarulini male during the report period on the southern parts of AEG Trollops. Rangers are worried that the male has faired badly in his recovery process, and considering the seriousness of the wounds he sustained some fear the worst for the male. Time will hopefully reveal the outcome to this ordeal. April 2007 HLARULINI MALE Location: NORTH-WESTERN TOULON, CHARLESTON, SOUTH-WESTERN FLOCKFIELD The Hlarulini male enjoyed a successful start to the month of April, with many good sightings. Unfortunately for him, during the middle of the month, he was seen to feed on a baboon close to the KK booms. The male was in some thick bush, and visual was poor. Rangers were alerted to some serious wounds on the male, once he moved towards the river. The cause of the wounds is much debated, and the seriousness of the wounds has led rangers to believe that he either had an encounter with another leopard, perhaps whilst appropriating the carcass. Others believe that the male did in fact kill the baboon, and during the fight, the baboon managed to injure the leopard with its long fangs and claws.
Either way, the male sustained a serious gash on his fore leg that appeared to have been split to the bone, and another wound, equally as serious on his rump. These animals have a strong immune system, coupled with a very high pain threshold, however time will be able to tell the outcome of this legend of Mala Mala. March 2007 HLARULINI MALE Location: NORTH-WESTERN TOULON, CHARLESTON, SOUTH-WESTERN FLOCKFIELD A good start to the month for this larger than average male leopard still seen to be holding the largest territory on MalaMala. The Hlarulini Male was found on the 1 st day of the report period on the Charleston Toulon Boundary, west of the shortcut to Jocks Walk. Rangers followed him as he hunted north, but was not successful in making a kill. This leopard was witnessed many times during the month and most of the sightings were slightly to the north and east of his usual territory. This could be due to pressure from the slightly smaller Chellahanga Male Leopard. The size of a leopard’s territory is not governed by the size of the leopard itself, but more by the individual leopard’s level of activity, as to the fact that most territorial battles are vocal.
February 2007 HLARULINI MALE Location: NORTH-WESTERN TOULON, CHARLESTON, SOUTH-WESTERN FLOCKFIELD The Hlarulini male leopard was the most frequently viewed male leopard for the report period. The male continues to frequent the largest of the known territories of the male leopards of Mala Mala. The male was seen to mate with the Jackalsdraai female. Interestingly it was the Jakkalsdraai female’s cub that the Hlarulini male was seen to kill and eat at Mister’s Koppies on the thirteen of January. This savage act has thus ensured that he expressed his dominance in the area, and thus made the Jakkalsdraai female consider him for her suitor.
January 2007 HLARULINI MALE Location: NORTH-WESTERN TOULON, CHARLESTON, SOUTH-WESTERN FLOCKFIELD The Hlarulini male was first seen in this report period on Old Years Day. He was found midway along the Kapen River with the remains of a young female Kudu which looked to have been killed the previous day, yet this was difficult to tell as it was stashed in thick bush. The second week of January was marred by an act of savagery by the Hlarulini male. The male killed a cub of the Jakkalsdraai female that had been hidden in the Misters koppies. He proceeded to eat the cub, making short work of it. The male then descended the koppie and intently investigated a crack in the koppies, possibly searching for other cubs. This act is known as infanticide, whereby a male will kill the cubs sired by other males. This act ensures that he expresses his dominance over other males, increasing the chances of him mating and furthering his genes. Copyright © Rattray Reserves |
