KAPEN FEMALE
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| December 2000 KAPEN FEMALE * 7 years 3 months Location: SOUTH-WESTERN FLOCKFIELD & NORTH-WESTERN
CHARLESTON These two leopards provided good viewing over the course of December. The daughter of the Kapen Female is proving most indifferent to vehicles and her antics as a young and curious leopard have been most entertaining. Perhaps the most sustaining sighting this month was when these two were found with the carcass of a nearly adult female Nyala stashed in a tree. Such a kill could be expected to provide several days of viewing and it certainly did, although the Kapen Female herself spent much of the time snarling at the vehicles. The cub, however, would feed from the kill and then head off to explore the surrounding areas, providing some most memorable moments as she tumbled about the trees and stalked whatever hyaenas happened to be in the area. As grumpy as the Kapen Female sometimes is towards landrovers (and this is not always the case), she is far more aggressive towards hyaenas. This has been noted in the past and was again een with this Nyala kill when on several occasions she deemed these scavengers as having overstepped the limits and gave them some furious charges. The Kapen Females' aggression was again seen towards months end when she was found chasing one of the approximately 2-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female. Although this young male leopard is probably at least as big as the Kapen Female is herself a relatively small leopard, her fury was such that he was most reluctant to make any sort of a stand. November 2000 KAPEN FEMALE * 7 years 2 months Location: SOUTH-WESTERN FLOCKFIELD & NORTH-WESTERN
CHARLESTON Both encounters with the Kapen Female were of her together with her daughter. The Kapen Female remains a rather crancky animal and although at times appears quite indifferent to the presence of vehicles, will on other occassions display quite obvious aggression. Her daughter, fortunatley, does not appear very concerned and good viewing has been had. At one of the sightings of mother and cub, her father, the Rock Drift Male, appeared. The trio did not stay together very long, parting and going their separate ways. October 2000 KAPEN FEMALE * 7 years 1 months LocationSOUTH-WESTERN FLOCKFIELD & NORTH-WESTERN
CHARLESTON There were good sightings of both the Kapen Female and her daughter this month. As the cub matures and becomes quite accepting of vehicles, so too the Kapen Females' disposition has changed and she is nearly back to the indifferent leopard of old. Several of the sightings of the young female were of her waiting for her mother to return from a hunt. During such times the natural curiosity of a young leopard resulted in some fine viewing. On one occasion, several hyaenas, the arch-enemies of leopards, assembled in the area, perhaps trying to see if the presence of the leopard meant that a carcass was there and they could have a chance to scavenge it. The cub of the Kapen Female has had many interactions with hyaenas and her treatment of them was hilarious to watch as she alternatively stalked them and then would run up a tree out of harms way when they saw her. The Rock Drift Male, the father of this youngster, was seen to briefly visit, her whilst she was waiting for her mothers return, which, on this occasion, was for over 48 hours. Such a period of absence indicates, to some degree at least, the struggle that even a mature and experienced leopard has in obtaining food September 2000 KAPEN FEMALE * 7 years Location: CENTRAL-WESTERN FLOCKFIELD & NORTH-CENTRAL CHARLESTON There were good sightings of these two leopards during September. Indications are that the Kapen Female is regaining her confidence in landrovers and is not nearly as aggressive towards vehicles as has been the case over the last year or so. One particularly fine sighting of the Kapen Female involved her and the cub with the remains of an impala kill and several hyaenas also wanting to get the meat and harass the leopards. August 2000 KAPEN FEMALE * 6 years 11 months Location:CENTRAL/ WESTERN FLOCKFIELD The sightings of the Kapen Female over this game report period revolved around her killing an adult female impala, fetching her cub to the kill and then defending the carcass from hyaenas. It was really the first part (the killing of the impala) and the latter part (the defence) which provided the best of the viewing. The carcass had initially been dragged beneath a fallen Knobthorn Acacia but was taken into another still living specimen when the hyaenas arrived. Hyaenas are continual enemies of leopards and although they seldom make an effort to actually kill each other, the lack of love between them is most palpable. Although the remains of the impala were secure, the hyaenas continued to harass the two leopards - perhaps the idea being to panic them or enrage them to the point where they failed to pay attention to their kill, letting it slip from the tree down to the waiting hyaenas. Anyway, both parties were snarling and snapping at each other, but the kill remained the leopards' and a good few hours of viewing was provided. July 2000 KAPEN FEMALE * 6 years 10 months Location:CENTRAL/ WESTERN FLOCKFIELD The only encounter with the Kapen Female was of her together with the cub in the lower reaches of the Kapen River. She later left the cub and went off hunting. By all accounts both her and this youngster are in fine condition. June 2000KAPEN FEMALE * 6 years 9 months Location:SOUTH WESTERN FLOCKFIELD The Kapen Female has continued to behave as a typically secretive leopard, but fortunately her cub appears to be adapting well to the presence of vehicles and cautious handling may not only produce a fine game-viewing adult, but may also contribute to calming the female down as well. May 2000KAPEN FEMALE * 6 years 8 months Location:SOUTH WESTERN FLOCKFIELD The encounters with the Kapen Female this month were all with were cub. Whilst the youngster appears most relaxed in the presence of vehicles, the mother is still not quite as pleased and sightings have to be regulated with this in mind. February / March / April 2000KAPEN FEMALE * 6 years 7 months Location:SOUTH WESTERN FLOCKFIELD/ NORTH-CENTRAL
CHARLESTON The wet conditions of the last few months do not seem to have had any negative impact upon the Kapen Female or her cub and although she still appears a little apprehensive of the approach of vehicles, the youngster is settling down well. January 2000KAPEN FEMALE * 6 years 4 months Location:CENTRAL-SOUTH FLOCKFIELD/ NORTH-CENTRAL
CHARLESTON When first encountered in mid-January, the Kapen Female allowed vehicles to follow her to where she was keeping her then 6-week-old cub, this being in a pile of boulders in the Rock Drift Gully on central Flockfield. Here the single youngster proceeded to play around, nearly oblivious of the presence of vehicles. The Kapen Female herself was not particularly happy and at times growled menacingly at the landrovers. Hopefully cautious viewing will allow some trust to return to the Kapen Female, particularly if her youngster appears unconcerned.
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