December 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 11 YEARS 1 MONTH
1 CUB 6 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(0 sightings of female, 0 sightings of female and cub; 0 sightings of cub alone)
There were no sightings of this female or cub during the month.
November 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 12 MONTHS
1 CUB 5 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(1 sighting of female alone; 0 sightings of female and cub; 0 sightings of cub alone)
At last! The first of this female in two months. She was alone and so the condition of her cub is unknown. It appeared as though her teats have shrunken and her milk dried up. At this stage the cub should be about five months old and so weaned. Hopefully next month will be bring more sightings of this female and the cub will be seen.
October 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 11 MONTHS
1 CUB 4 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(0 sightings of female alone; 0 sightings of female and cub; 0 sightings of cub alone)
There were no sightings of these leopards during October.
September 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 10 MONTHS
1 CUB 2 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(2 sightings of female alone; 8 sightings of female and cub; 0 sightings of cub alone)
the female and cub started off with a bang and where seen almost every day, the female would return daily to her den site and the cub would happily entertain enthralled guests with its antics. Then the female moved her den site, rangers followed her to the new one but that next day she moved it again and this time we didn’t see where she went and so for the last half of September we haven’t had any sightings of the cub. The few we have had of the female she hasn’t lead us back to her new den. Persistence will be the key to finding the cub again, lets see who can hold out.
August 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 9 MONTHS
1 CUB 1 MONTH
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(5 sightings of female alone; 8 sightings of female and cub; 2 sightings of cub alone)
This has been a great month for the Jakkalsdraai female, she has eventually forced her son into independence and she after a long time of not knowing has given birth to a cub near Charleston River Rocks. We suspected she was looking for a den when we saw her investigating the rocks in the area and she was seen for a few consecutive days on and around the rocks. Then on the 13th August we saw the cub for the first time. Just a single cub, still with blue little eyes and very reliant on its mother. The rest of the month revolved around these two with great viewing of both mother and cub. The Jakkalsdraai female has already moved her den site three times but all sites have been very close together and we have been very careful with how we view the mother and cub. It is great to welcome a new member to the Mala Mala family and we look forward to the months of great viewing ahead.
July 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 8 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 21 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(9 sightings of female alone; 0 sighting of female and cub; 7 sightings of cub alone)
This female has been seen far more this month, she seems to have pushed her son away completely and he also seems to have accepted the fate and is showing signs of independence and has been seen trying to hunt by himself and at kills with other young males, who made the kill has not been clear but he is providing for himself. The reason for this break is due to the fact that the Jakkalsdraai female was pregnant and showing heavily. By the middle of the month she had identified the rocks around River Rocks road and was seen on a number of consecutive days in and around the rock still looking heavily pregnant. A few days later she was found lying on the top of the rocks, and it showed that she had given birth and she was calling softly into the rocks. We have not seen the cub or cubs, but all the signs indicate that she has a den site in the rocks and that she has given birth. The next month will tell us how many and if they will survive the first stage and winter, but we look forward to welcoming the next generation of leopards to the Mala Mala family.
June 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 7 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 20 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(9 sightings of female alone; 0 sighting of female and cub; 9 sightings of cub alone)
This successful female has made a welcome return to sightings in the north, she has not been seen as regularly in the past few months but this month has been a good month for both her and her son. They have not been seen together but both have made frequent appearances this month with the females’ movements being mostly around the river and the son starting to relax down and is seen in the northern sections of his mother territory.
May 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 6 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 19 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(7 Sightings of female alone; 4 sighting of female and cub; 6 sighting of cub alone)
She was the most seen female in the south and continues to reign supreme over all of Charleston. She was seen with her male sub adult on many an occasion but towards the end of the month she looked to separate ties yet again. She has been doing so for the last few months but it looks as if she has finally done so, let’s see if it sticks this time. One memorable sighting had her with an impala kill, the impala was a large male and she wasn’t able to hoist it up a tree. As she fed on the kill three hyaenas burst onto the scene and made off with her kill. As the hyaena tore apart her kill she stalked around the periphery waiting for a chance to try and reclaim some of the kill. As one hyaena chased off another the leopard rushed in and made off with some of the kill. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to get to a tree in time and the hyaena chased her down and took back the meat. Hopefully by the end of winter she will be giving birth to her next litter.
April 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 5 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 18 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(5 Sightings of female alone; 6 sighting of female and cub; 5 sighting of cub alone)
Both these leopards are doing really well and still hold their territory around the Sand River, southern Charleston and north-western Toulon. The Jakkalsdraai female is starting to pull away from her cub and there have been far more sightings of him by himself, hunting and moving without her presence. The times they have been seen together have been at kills and this will soon come to an end as the mother forces her son to become more independent. At two of the kills that mother and son were at the Tjellahanga male also arrived at the scene, this adds more wood to the fire with regards to things becoming more uncomfortable for the young male who will now start being pushed out by not only his mother but also the territorial male who will start seeing him as competition. The Jakkalsdraai female will soon be thinking of her next litter and this will draw more attention from the territorial male.
March 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 4 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 17 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(4 Sightings of female alone; 7 sighting of female and cub; 5 sighting of cub alone)
The female has been spending extended periods of time apart from her cub which is a good indication of her trying to sever the bond between them. The young male still gets led back to kills on occasions but for the most part the two are now separate. The female has been mating with the Tjellahanga male in recent months and time will tell if the mating is successful but all indications are that her cub will soon be known as the son of the Jakkalsdraai female. During the month the female was also found with a young kudu carcass which for a female leopard is quite uncommon, she also was seen to lose two impala carcasses to hyaenas but walked away unscathed.
Febuary 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 3 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 16 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(8 Sightings of female alone; 5 sighting of female and cub; 7 sighting of cub alone)
The female has been spending extended periods of time apart from her cub which is a good indication of her trying to sever the bond between them. The young male still gets led back to kills on occasions but for the most part the two are now separate. The female has been mating with the Tjellahanga male in recent months and time will tell if the mating is successful but all indications are that her cub will soon be known as the son of the Jakkalsdraai female. During the month the female was also found with a young kudu carcass which for a female leopard is quite uncommon, she also was seen to lose two impala carcasses to hyaenas but walked away unscathed.
January 2010
JAKKALSDRAAI FEMALE 10 YEARS 2 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 15 MONTHS
CENTRAL & WESTERN CHARLESTON, EAST OF THE SAND RIVER
(3 sightings of female, 12 sightings of female and cub; 4 sightings of cub alone)
She is still providing for her cub even though he is showing more signs of independence and linked to the fact that it was only last month that the Jakkalsdraai female was mating, which indicate that both mother and son have realised that it is close to the time for the son to leave and become independent. However these two leopards still provide great viewing in the southern parts of Mala Mala whether by themselves or with each other. The Jakkalsdraai female still holds a huge territory along the river and into Charleston and thus provides the majority of the sightings in this area.
