NEWINGTON MALE

December 2002

Location: EYREFIELD (except northeastern)/ CENTRAL & NORTHEN MALA MALA

(8 sightings)

Viewing of the the Newington Male was good during December. He had a busy month, consolidating his new-found territory and perhaps also even expanding it somewhat when he was seen heading downstream in the Matshapiri River and scent-marking over an area which, although only a few dozen hectares in extent, has been considered an integral part of the territory controlled by the Rock Drift Male.

This new-found confidence and social status has not gone unnoticed by female leopards. Towards the beginning of December, the Newington Male was seen mating with the three-year-old daughter of the Ngoboswan Female which has over the last year or so consolidated her hold on the area to the northeast of that controlled by her mother; this area falls into that patrolled by the Newington Male. But perhaps more telling of his power than this mating was the fact that the White Cloth Female, a leopard whose territory has really been outside of that controlled by the Newington Male, almost seemed to seek him out this month. Not only was the White Cloth Female frequently encountered deep within the area patrolled by the Newington Male, but on one occasion the two were seen to meet and instead of major aggression as might have been expected between two leopards with nothing in common, the White Cloth Female briefly flirted with the Newington Male before both withdrew and went their separate ways once more. And then, later on in the month, the White Cloth Female was found calling in an area also thought to be under the Newington Males sphere of influence. It could well have been that she was trying to locate this male for mating purposes.

So, with female leopards seeking him out and with male leopards on the outskirts only to be challenged, the future for this young male leopard appears rosy.

November 2002

NEWINGTON MALE * 4 YEARS 1 MONTH

Location: EYREFIELD/ NORTHEN MALA MALA

(6 sightings)

Viewing during November produced none of last month's hostilities seen between the Newington Male and his older brother. Last month the two leopards were seen squaring up to one another on two occasions. The reason for the fighting seemed to be over domination of the northern parts of Mala Mala, an area recently left vacant by the Tlebe Rocks Male. All evidence indicates that the Newington Male has emerged the winner of this tussle.

Together with the territory would be female leopards and the Newington Male was seen mating with the Hlabatini Female during November, further indication that he is now the dominant male of this area. This male and female pair were seen together during the first week of November and mated throughout the course of the day.

At the very beginning of this game-report-period, the Newington Male had a rather narrow escape when some lions tried to steal the remains of a zebra foal which he must have killed and then taken into the upper branches of a large Knobthorn Tree. The lions spent over 12 hours in the area, not really trying to climb the tree, which was very tall and growing out of a steep-sided stream-bank, but simply watching and no doubt hoping that the carcass would fall to the ground. But that did not happen. Instead, when very little remained of the kill, the Newington Male seemed to panic, grabbed the kill and leapt to the ground with it and made a dash for another slightly more substantial tree. The lions came chasing after the leopard, causing him scramble up the tree, abandoning what little of the kill remained. In the end the leopard escaped; his dignity was probably slightly harmed and one of the lions managed to eat a small quantity of a zebra foal.

October 2002

Location: MARTHLY/ CENTRAL EYREFIELD

(6 sightings)

The Newington Male had an eventful month. He concentrated his efforts on securing for himself the territory left vacant by the Tlebe Rocks Male - the northern parts of the reserve. But, as it turned out, he was not the only male leopard with his eyes on the area. His older brother, now just over seven years of age, suddenly appeared on the scene to challenge for the turf. These two leopards were seen squaring up to one another on two occasions. The first incident lasted for the entire day and not once were the two seen to actually fight. All they did was pace next to one another, growling all the time. When they weren't pacing, they were lying close to each other, also growling from time to time. The whole performance was one of each trying to impress the other - stamina, signs of power and so forth were the order of this theatre. But wounds on both leopards suggested that at least some physical fighting had occurred; these cuts were not much more than superficial.

The second get-together happened a week later and this time on what is often considered the western periphery of the Newington Males' territory. The first interaction took place right in the middle of the disputed area. Aggression between the two on the 2^nd sighting was again more posturing that anything else, although more fresh wounds on both leopards again pointed at some more violent episode. Towards the end the leopards were moving west, perhaps out of the Newington Males' territory and this perhaps an indication that the Newington Male was dominating. The following day the Newington Male was seen moving from the area where the interaction had occurred and marking territory as he went deeper into the 'new' area. Again, probably a sign that he had ultimately triumphed, at least in this round.

Then, towards the end of the report-period, the Newington Male had another confrontation, this time with his old acquaintance, the male leopard with the short tail. The relationship between these two leopards could hardly be more intriguing; the Newington Male may well be the son of the other leopard and for a time at least the two seemed to co-exist. One of the more famous sightings of these two males happened when the male leopard with the short tail watched as the Newington Male, then an inexperienced young male, was being courted by his old mate, the Ngoboswan Female. Instead of trying to run the youngster off, the Newington Male was allowed to continue and mate. Now that the Ngoboswan Female has cubs from the Newington Male, the other male appears to have run him out of the territory and cares for the Ngoboswan Female and cubs as though they were his own.

During October, the male leopard with the short tail was observed completely dominating over the Newington Male at the site of an impala kill near the lower reaches of the Mlowathi. All evidence suggested that the Newington Male had made this kill.

Anyway, an eventful month for the Newington Male and one during which he probably ended up mostly on top.

As an aside, the male leopard with the short tail probably beat up the seven-year-old brother of the Newington Male some years ago when the younger leopard was caught mating with the Mlowathi Female in this same general area.

September 2002

Location: SE EYREFIELD/ NW MALA MALA

(6 sightings)

The Newington Male, which for the last few months has been putting pressure on the Tlebe Rocks Male by moving north and east of the area which he has so far occupied, has probably found himself with a relatively easy take-over, this as a result of the disappearance and possibly death of the Tlebe Rocks Male - thanks to the tusks of a warthog.

Now that the area which the Newington Male has been working for is suddenly available, it will be interesting to see just what he makes of it. Will he move away from the land which he has so far controlled in search of new conquests, or will this just be an expansion and the Newington Male will continue to work his original area and care for the Ngoboswan Female and her two cubs which he fathered.

One of the fine pieces of viewing delivered by the Newington Male this month was when he was seen killing a duiker and then taking it up a tree where it would be safe from hyenas and other scavengers. The leopard appeared well fed at the time and so was in no hurry to eat the duiker. The next morning, through nothing but clumsiness, the Newington Male let the carcass fall to the ground where a waiting hyena grabbed it.

August 2002

Location: SE EYREFIELD/ SW MALA MALA

(4 sightings)
The Newington Male was seen only four times this month, mostly within the territory occupied by the Ngoboswan Female, mother of the cubs that he sired. The male leopard with the short tail which is perhaps the Newington Males' father and also stays in this area, regularly meets up with the Ngoboswan Female and her cubs and seems to accept the presence of the Newington Male.

Evidence suggests that the Newington Male is expanding rapidly to his north and east, entering territory controlled up until now, by the Tlebe Rocks Male.

July 2002

Location: CENTRAL & NE EYREFIELD/ WESTERN & CENTRAL MALA MALA

(7 sightings)
The Newington Male leopard had a busy July, showing tremendous energy to explore territory way beyond his so far established borders. He was particularly active within the territory of the Tlebe Rocks Male, the leopard which up until now has controlled the area to the north and east of that patrolled by the Newington Male. On those occasions when the Newington Male was seen in these areas, his actions did not really show much marking of territory, but rather were those of a curious explorer. It was as if the Newington Male, before deciding to advertise his presence, was still assessing the opposition. But the Tlebe Rocks Male must have detected his presence. Just why no confrontation was seen or why there were no signs of the Tlebe Rocks Male taking action against this invasion is not known. Perhaps he realises that the Newington Male is young, strong and confident.

And it was not only the Tlebe Rocks Male which was subject to this invasion. The Newington Male was also seen wandering down the Matshapiri River and into a region which is generally considered to be the northeastern part of the area covered by the Rock Drift Male. In spite of all of this, the Newington Male did not seem to neglect the Ngoboswan Female and her three cubs which he fathered. He was still seen to patrol within the area where they live, in so doing perhaps discouraging other male leopards from coming in.

June 2002

NEWINGTON MALE * 3 YEARS 8 MONTHS

Location: W EYREFIELD/ N WESTERN MALA MALA

(8 sightings)
The Newington Male seems to have put on a spurt of development - more in terms of confidence than physical - this indicated by sightings of him outside the area up until now considered his territory. The male leopard that was seen confronting the Newington Male in February was not seen during June and the Newington Male was found far to the north up the Mlowathi River, in an area where this other male had been seen on other occasions. Does this perhaps mean that the Newington Male has won the battle and this northern territory is part of the prize? Other male leopards to feel the push of the Newington Male include the Tlebe Rocks Male and the Rock Drift Male, both large but perhaps aging adults. The next few months could prove interesting in terms of the territorial dynamics of male leopards towards the northern parts of Mala Mala.

May 2002

Location: E MARTHLY/ SW EYREFIELD/ N WESTERN MALA MALA

(6 sightings)
Perhaps the Newington Male has seen off the challenger from the north; there were certainly no indications that he had had any serious confrontations with the male leopard first seen confronting him in February this year. So in spite of the wounds probably inflicted in meetings subsequent to the one in February, this month gave no hint that others had transpired. Perhaps the leopards have come to some mutual agreement on borders. Anyway, the Newington Male appeared somewhat more settled and on more than one occasion was either together with the cubs he produced with the Ngoboswan Female or in their close proximity. At one of these sightings he was seen to first take part of an impala kill from the mother and youngsters and then take another portion from a hyena which was also at the scene. The Ngoboswan Female promptly took this salvaged piece of meat from him and the two leopards showed noticeable aggression at this stage. But this was all part of the love-hate relationship between most leopards. At this same meeting, one of the cubs was seen to lie on the Newington Males' paws and nuzzle against him.

April 2002

Location: E MARTHLY/ SW EYREFIELD/ N WESTERN MALA MALA

(8 sightings)
The Newington Male provided fine viewing this month, starting off with him catching a small bushbuck in the lower reaches of the Mlowathi River. The leopard flushed the small antelope, caught it and then proceeded to play with it for over half-an-hour before eventually killing and eating it. Such behaviour is quite typical with cats, but usually expected only of those still learning the art of hunting and killing. Luckily for the Newington Male the distress cries of the bushbuck failed to attract the immediate attentions of competing scavengers and he managed to eat most of the kill before a hyaena did arrived and appropriated some of the carcass.

The following day the Newington Male delivered more dramatic viewing, this time when he chased another young male leopard up a tree where the two proceeded to snarl and spit at each other. A male lion came along to investigate the noise and this broke things up, the other young leopard fleeing the area. The lion soon tired of what was happening once it realised that there was no food to scavenge and that he was not going to catch the leopards. As the Newington Male left the area, he came across one of the daughters of the Ngoboswan Female, which also fled the area when she saw him.

Two days later, whilst the Newington Male was on the western bank of the Sand River, he flushed and killed a close to adult male warthog. Warthogs are good eating for leopards, but quite capable of defending themselves, so when a leopard is prepared to take one on, it's a good reflection of its confidence - or of course its naivety. But the Newington Male seemed to know what he was doing and soon had the dead warthog hidden beneath a thicket. Again the leopard was lucky as the squeals from the warthog failed to attract scavengers. By the following afternoon, a still substantial portion of the kill remained. Although the leopard had dragged it to the base of a tree, perhaps in readiness to hoist it into the upper branches, it had still not deemed it necessary to secure his food further. This was a mistake. Hyenas arrived during the night and the next morning were at the base of another tree in which the Newington Male was perched with a small part of his kill. Evidence suggested that the hyenas had taken the bulk of the carcass and that the leopard had then managed to steal back a mere mouthful. After feeding from these scraps, the Newington Male descended and headed off towards the Sand River which was a kilometre or so from the scene of action, leaving a small portion of the carcass still in the rather spindly Bushwillow tree. The Newington Male only returned to finish this last portion of the warthog the following evening, rocking away in the swaying tree and dropping scraps of the carcass to the hyenas waiting below.

A week or so after the drama of the warthog kill, the Newington Male was found again, this time whilst a pack of Wild Dogs was being followed and they ran past a tree in which the leopard was lying. Quite surprisingly, the Newington Male showed only the vaguest of interest in the Wild Dogs and failed to descend from the tree to give chase. Leopards usually hate Wild Dogs and will not only try to steal kills from them, but will even try to attack the dogs themselves. An hour or so later, the Newington Male descended the tree and headed off. His body was covered with fresh wounds, these probably from a fight with another leopard, perhaps the same male which was found confronting him in February. This latter male leopard was seen four times this month and was sporting a large cut on the back of his neck. The wounds did not seem to trouble the Newington Male and he was marking territory as well as looking out for prey. When he noticed a Steenbok, he proceeded to stalk the small antelope and only narrowly missed catching it. All in all a most impressive months viewing from the Newington Male leopard.

March 2002

Location: E MARTHLY/ N WESTERN MALA MALA

(4 sightings)
The Newington Male seemed to remain in good form this month, patrolling the area considered to be his territory, which, compared with some of the other male leopards on Mala Mala, does not appear as large. Nevertheless, it may be a good thing for such a young male leopard to start small, particularly since he would have to give much attention to his three cubs he fathered with the Ngoboswan Female.

One fine sighting with the Newington Male this month was of him stalking towards the Styx Pride lions which were resting up around the still substantial remains of a male kudu which they had killed. Grass hid the lions and their kill, but the leopard could no doubt smell and hear enough for him to figure out what was happening. The lions were at the time unaware of the leopard and the Newington Male slipped past them to rest beneath the shade of a Natal Mahogany tree. Two of the lionesses must have caught a whiff of his scent and went to investigate, but did not find him. The Newington Male then decided to leave the area.

February 2002

Location: E MARTHLY/ SW EYREFIELD/ N WESTERN MALA MALA

(7 sightings)
The Newington Male seems to be getting bigger by the day and perhaps more confidant. This was seen towards the middle of the month when he and another male leopard were seen having an interaction. The second male leopard appeared quite a bit older than the Newington Male. Both leopards were sporting fresh cuts from the fight. After they had been found, no further physical interactions were seen and the pair appeared content to lie within a few meters of one another, growling and scent-marking before rising up to pace side by side for a while. This other male leopard may well hold the territory to the north and west of that area patrolled by the Newington Male. This meeting between the leopards was beyond the standard boundary reaffirmation which happens. A young male leopard such as the Newington Male which is eager to expand influence would certainly be prepared to test his neighbours, particularly if signs of weakness became apparent.

January 2002

Location: SE MARTHLY/ SW EYREFIELD/ N WESTERN MALA MALA

(8 sightings)
The Newington Male was seen several times during the January game-report-period and seems to be settling down to a regular territorial patrolling regime, occupying the area north of the causeway opposite the Mala Mala Main Camp as well as the rough, boulder-strewn terrain in the general environs of the confluence of the Sand, Mlowathi and Manyelethi Rivers.

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