JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE
Photograph by ranger Giles Kelmanson
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| December 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE * 7 YEARS 1 MONTH Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER The Jakkalsdraai Female was not seen with any degree of regularity during the report period. Early in December, the Jakkalsdraai Female and her daughter were seen moving southwards through Jakkalsdraai Open Area. The mother leopard did not seem to see her daughter. The young leopard saw her mother, watched her for a while and then proceeded southwards. She did not flee, or attempt to approach her mother. Later in the month the Jakkalsdraai Female was chased north by the Hlarulini Male in the vicinity of Ingwe Donga. Late in the game report period rangers noticed that the Jakkalsdraai Female was lactating, and it thus appears that she is pregnant. Hopefully her next litter of cubs will grow up to be as relaxed and confident as the two female leopards from her most recent litter. It will be interesting to see if the Jakkalsdraai Female chooses to use Charleston River Rocks as a den site for her cubs, as she used this area for her previous litter.
The daughters of the Jakkalsdraai Female continued to provide fine viewing on central and eastern Charleston. It should not be long before both these leopards claim territories and seek out a male leopard for mating purposes. November 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE *7 YEARS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER The Jakkalsdraai Female continued to provide fine leopard viewing on the western parts of Charleston. It is interesting to note that this leopard was seen across a relatively small area this month, when compared to her distribution for previous months. This could be completely coincidental, and could merely be a result of the fact that she was not seen in other areas. There is no reason why the territory of this successful female leopard should be getting any smaller. The coming months will tell if this leopard is pregnant – her daughters have been independent for some time, and one would expect her to have a new litter fairly soon. The daughters of the Jakkalsdraai Female continued to provide fine viewing on central and eastern Charleston. These leopards take after their mother and are extremely relaxed in the presence of vehicles. These leopards are in a transition phase – they are independent from their mother but have not yet established a territory. October 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE * 6 YEARS 11 MONTHS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
The Jakkalsdraai Female had a good month. Most of the sightings of this leopard were around the Rocky Crossing area, although she was seen to venture back into the Jakkalsdraai Area on one occasion. The month started off well with the leopard being found on a duiker kill in Ingwe Donga. The one daughter of the Jakkalsdraai Female seems to be trying to occupy the northern part of what must now be considered the Jakkalsdraai Females old territory, this being north of the Jakkalsdraai Open Area. She was also seen to briefly encounter the Chellahanga Male, the male leopard that she has been mating with frequently over the past few months. However the two leopards simply went there separate ways after briefly sniffing at each other. Has the Jakkalsdraai Female finally fallen pregnant after her months of mating with the Chellahanga Male? The daughters of the Jakkalsdraai Female were seen on 3 different occasions last month. They are both looking very healthy and continue to set up their territories on Toulon and Charleston. They are now 31 months old and seem to have adjusted completely to adulthood. September 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE * 6 YEARS 10 MONTHS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER The story of the month for the Jakkalsdraai Female, other than hunting and patrolling her territory, was her mating with the Chellahanga Male. She was seen on two separate occasions, once at the start of the report period and the other a fortnight later, mating with this male leopard. Again it is interesting that she has sought out the Chellahanga Male who she certainly seems to prefer to the Hlarulini Male when it comes to mating. Just why the Jakkalsdraai Female can not fall pregnant is anyone’s guess, but these oestrus cycles simply can not be false oestrus’s and she is still too young to be infertile. In any case this leopard was seen hunting on a few occasions, and was found with various bushbuck kills in the south of the reserve. She is certainly not going hungry given her body condition and the abundance of food she manages to catch. The daughters of the Jakkalsdraai Female (17 sightings)were seen frequently in the south of the reserve. One daughter was more frequently seen that the other, and seems to venture onto southern Flockfield on occasions looking for vacant land to secure as her own. August 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE * 6 YEARS 9 MONTHS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER (6 sightings) There were only 6 confirmed sightings of the Jakkalsdraai Female during the August report period. However a leopard with an injury on her back left leg, almost exactly the same injury as the Jakkalsdraai Female herself has, was identified as her daughter on a few occasions and could well have been the Jakkalsdraai Female herself. In any case when seen the Jakkalsdraai Female provided some fine viewing. As the map illustrates this female has been spending much time around Rock Crossing on northern Toulon, and it was initially thought that any cubs she might have could be concealed in this area. This is also an area of hot dispute between the Chellahanga Male and Hlarulini Male, both of which she has mated with in previous months. However by month end it looked as if the Jakkalsdraai Female was not lactating. This was evident when she was found with a female impala kill close to Rocky Crossing. Whatever cubs she might have had she must have lost, and it should not be long before she is off seeking another mate.
One of the daughters of the Jakkalsdraai Female was seen on eastern Flockfield and central Charleston during the report period. This young leopard seems intent on acquiring a portion of her mother’s territory. It would seem ideal timing as the Jakkalsdraai Female has been spending a lot of her time in the south of the reserve. Her daughter was not seen to scent mark though but was simply exploring her surroundings. July 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE * 6 YEARS 8 MONTHS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON , EAST OF THE SAND RIVER (8 sightings) The popular Jakkalsdraai Female was seen frequently this game report period, mostly along the Sand River between Flat Rocks and Rocky Crossing. She was not seen to do anything too exciting, but provided steady viewing nonetheless. Although she is still lactating, there have been no sightings of any cubs with her. The consistency of her movements along the northern bank of the Sand River suggests that the cubs may indeed be hidden somewhere in the thick bush along the Sand River . The Jakkalsdraai Female was also seen in the Chellahanga River at times, which is a very long way east for her. She may possibly have vacated some of her former range on northern Charleston and southern Flockfield to accommodate her two daughters from her previous litter. June 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE * 6 YEARS 7 MONTHS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON , EAST OF THE SAND RIVER (5 sightings) The Jakkalsdraai Female had a good month. And the exciting news is that this leopard appeared to be lactating. Her mating with the Chellahanga Male towards the end of April might well have been a false oestrous. If she is lactating now she would have been impregnated some time before this. She has been very active and mating with both the Chellahanga Male and the Hlaralini Male since the start of the year and one of these two leopards is certainly the father of any cubs born. Interestingly she is also spending more and more of her time in areas considered to be more Toulon Female territory, controlled mainly by the Chellahanga Male. Could this be a deliberate move to move towards the Chellahanga Male’s territory or is she simply moving south and east to allow her abandoned cubs some space to try and start a territory of their own? Whatever the reason the Jakkalsdraai Female had a run in with the Toulon Female over an impala kill, the Hlaralini Male eventually arriving and chasing the females off the kill. Another sighting had the Jakkalsdraai Female high up in a tree with the Chellahanga Male at its base, snarling at her and asserting his dominance over his mate. But all looks good for the Jakkalsdraai Female as she gears up for her next litter. One of the daughters of the Jakkalsdraai Female was seen on a few occasions towards the middle parts of the reserve during this report period. There is certainly vacant land up for grabs as the Kapen Female moves northwards, and her mother seems to have relinquished a small portion of her land to her offspring. This leopard was seen to kill a Francolin and eat it towards the end of June. May 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE *6 YEARS 6 MONTHS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON , EAST OF THE SAND RIVER (6 sightings) The 6 sightings of the Jakkalsdraai Female established that she has definitely cut all ties with her cubs. She was not seen in their presence once, and at the very start of the report period was found mating with the Chellahanga Male, in an area that cannot be considered her territory. It is common for female leopards to leave their territory to seek a mate, but why has the Jakkalsdraai Female actively sort out this leopard over the Hlarulini Male? Or is she playing a safe game, as she was last month seen mating with both males within the course of a week. Any cubs born to her and found by either male would be relatively safe, as both males would assume that they are his, and hence would not try and kill them. Or is it that the Hlarulini Male is unable to impregnate her and hence she has sought out the younger Chellahanga Male? In any case she was soon back in her old haunts, and briefly met up with the Hlarulini Male, but no aggression was shown between the two leopards. If the mating has been a success, and it should as she has mated with both the Hlarulini Male and the Chellahanga Male within the same week, then cubs could be expected towards the end of July. April 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE *6 YEARS 5 MONTHS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON , EAST OF THE SAND RIVER (6 sightings) The Jakkalsdraai Female was seen over much of her typical territory in April, encompassing most of Charleston east of the Sand River . This popular female leopard carried on with her mating spree in April. In the middle of the game report period, she was seen mating with the Hlarulini Male for two days. Immediately after ceasing mating activities with the Hlarulini Male, she mated again with the Chellahanga Male. This highly promiscuous behaviour is probably a very good move on the Jakkalsdraai Female’s part, as both these male leopards frequent her territory. Thus, her next litter of cubs will probably be well received by both these male leopards should they encounter them, as both male leopards could lay claim to being the father of the cubs. Other than her mating exploits, there was nothing exciting to report with the Jakkalsdraai Female and we wait with baited breath for her next litter of cubs. March 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE * 6 YEARS 4 MONTHS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON , EAST OF THE SAND RIVER (4 sightings) There were only four sightings of this popular female leopard during the March Game Report period. She was again seen with the Chellahanga Male early in the game report period. However, no mating was observed. It is very likely that this male leopard will be the father of her next litter of cubs. Having recently raised her first litter of cubs to independence, it is likely that she will again be pregnant with her second litter of cubs. She still seems to be firmly in control of the central Charleston area.February 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE * 6 YEARS 3 MONTHS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON , EAST OF THE SAND RIVER (10 sightings) There is no doubt now that the Jakkalsdraai Female has severed all her bonds with her cubs. She has not been seen with either of her daughters for some time now and she has been seen to continue her mating activity quite frequently with the Chellahanga Male. Half the sightings of the Jakkaldraai Female during this game report period were with the Chellahanga Male, mating. After successfully raising her first litter of cubs to independence, which is in itself a very impressive feat, she appears to be wasting no time in trying to conceive her next litter. There were two sightings of one of her cubs, alone. These two young female leopards will now face trying times trying to establish themselves in an area that is saturated with female leopards. Often, young female leopards establish themselves adjacent to their mother’s territories for their initial period of independence. It will be interesting to see how the presence of two young female leopards affects territory dynamics on Charleston and southern Flockfield. As happened with their aunt, the New Hogvaal Female, they may be forced east into the Kruger National Park over time. January 2006 JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE * 6 YEARS 2 MONTHS Location: CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON , EAST OF THE SAND RIVER (8 sighting) Not seen at all with here cubs and seen mating with the Chellahanga male would suggest that she has indeed relinquished her motherly duties to these now sub adult cubs.
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