NEWINGTON MALE
Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams
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| December 2006 NEWINGTON MALE * 8 YEARS 2 MONTHS Location: SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, EYREFIELD, MALAMALA, NORTHERN-CENTRAL FLOCKFIELD The first sighting of the report period occurred when the Newington Male leopard was found on the KNP break, opposite the Windmill, calling frequently, and pacing around in circles. Rangers at the sighting were somewhat mystified as to why this leopard was so far to the east of his usual territory, and why he was calling incessantly. Thereafter the Newington Male was seen on Flockfield Lookout moving north. Before long he came across the Bicycle Crossing Male, who was sleeping in a Jackalberry tree. The two leopards growled and snarled at each other, but did not fight. Eventually it was the Bicycle Crossing Male that backed down and moved away. A similar encounter occurred later in the report period, with much roaring and scent-marking, but no further conflict was seen.
Perhaps the most exciting incident occurred when the Newington Male leopard was found in a Marula Tree, close to Fourways Crossing in the northern parts of the reserve. In the tree alongside this large male leopard was the carcass of an adult female Nyala. The Newington Male spent the evening feeding and resting in the tree. It was a large kill and once again emphasised the strength of these animals – it is said that leopards can haul twice their own body weight up a tree. The following morning rangers went to the area to follow up, and found the Newington Male in the same position, still feeding. However, there was another leopard, precariously positioned at the top of the tree – the Son of the White Cloth Female. He had obviously attempted to steal some of the kill during the course of the evening. There was much aggression between the two animals, with ferocious snarling and growling. The Son of the White Cloth Female stayed well away from the larger leopard, clearly intent on avoiding any physical contact.
The Newington Male is still in his prime, and appears to have a large territory under his control. All in all this leopard had a good month, and it is anticipated that he will continue to provide excellent leopard viewing on Mala Mala. November 2006 NEWINGTON MALE * 8 YEARS 1 MONTH Location: SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, EYREFIELD, MALAMALA, NORTHERN-CENTRAL FLOCKFIELD The Newington Male had a very good month and provided some very productive viewing on Mala Mala. The month started off with the Newington Male meeting with his old adversary, the Bicycle Crossing Male, near the Mala Mala Bridge. However the two leopards went their separate ways after a short confrontation, this mainly due to the fact that the Bicycle Crossing Male was in the process of a lengthy mating spell with a female leopard and naturally had other things on his mind.
The following day the Newington Male was in the lower reaches of the Matshapiri and killed a female bushbuck, on which he fed for a few days. The Newington Male certainly covered a lot of ground in November, being seen as far south as the Charleston/Flockfield Boundary. He also spent more time in the eastern parts of his range and was seen in the upper reaches of the Matshapiri on a few occasions. Towards month end the Newington Male was seen to chase down and kill a baby impala. December should bring on some more exciting viewing from this large male leopard. October 2006 NEWINGTON MALE * 8 YEARS Location: SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, EYREFIELD, MALAMALA, NORTHERN-CENTRAL FLOCKFIELD The Newington Male provided some fine viewing again in October. He was not seen to interact with the Bicycle Crossing Male at all during the month, although he was often seen around the Mala Mala Bridge, which is a hot spot and an area of fierce competition between these two leopards. The Newington Male concentrated a lot of his time in patrolling his territory this month, something that he might have neglected last month given his constant presence around the Bridge. He also seemed to venture southwards deep into Flockfield, and as the map shows was seen on one occasion on the Charleston Flockfield Boundary. The Newington Male has a very large territory, and he seemed to cover most of this in good time, walking huge distance between sightings.
Then on the last day of the report period the Newington Male was found with the Son of the White Cloth Female in a tree near the Tlebe Rocks. There was the remains of a warthog in the area, but it could not be ascertained which leopard made the kill. The Newington Male certainly likes warthogs and is somewhat of a specialist in killing them. In any case the Newington Male asserted his dominance over the younger leopard and had him trapped up the tree for sometime. A good month for the Newington Male and it seems that he has his work cut out ensuring that his vast domain is secure from intruders. September 2006 NEWINGTON MALE *7 YEARS 11 MONTHS Location: SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, EYREFIELD, MALAMALA, NORTHERN-CENTRAL FLOCKFIELD The Newington Male had an extremely busy month. The highlight of the month from a viewing perspective was his numerous encounters with the Bicycle Crossing Male between the Mala Mala Bridge and Rattrays Camp. The first encounter between these two leopards was a brief show of strength and much roaring when the two leopards stumbled upon one another on a road that they use as their territorial border.
A few days later drag marks led to the two males being found with an impala carcass in a tree opposite Rattray’s Camp. Both males were found growling at each other, and fed at intervals from an impala kill that appeared to have been made by the Bicycle Crossing Male. This interaction went on for a three-day period. The Newington Male, who is probably older and certainly more experienced than the Bicycle Crossing Male, appeared to have the upper hand on these encounters. The Bicycle Crossing Male was very vocal, but retreated from the advances of the Newington Male. No physical contact was seen between these two leopards.
Then two days later the Newington Male was found with a kill near the bridge. Soon the inevitable happened and the Bicycle Crossing Male stumbled on the scene. The two again had a stand-off. The issue was resolved when the Bicycle Crossing Male crossed west over the Sand River, but not before a hyena arrived and stole the kill from the leopards. The Newington Male again seemed to be the victor, and clearly sees the river as his western boundary. For the next week the Newington Male was very active around the Mala Mala Bridge, scent marking and roaring. Towards the end of the report period the Newington Male was found with a sub adult male nyala kill in the very southern reaches of the Matshapiri. The leopard fed from the kill for a day, leaving it occasionally to patrol northwards towards the Mala Mala Bridge. That evening the leopard abandoned the kill and again ventured northwards towards the bridge, scent marking and roaring as he went. Just before he reached the bridge an answer roar could be heard. This was the Bicycle Crossing Male who was moving southwards towards the Newington Male. The leopards were well aware of each other, but before their paths crossed, the Newington Male went east around the other leopard, still roaring.
So just what is going on here? After clearly being the dominant leopard in their previous encounters, the Newington Male appeared to intentionally avoid the Bicycle Crossing Male, and in so doing might have given the upper hand in this feud back to his opponent! On the last day of the report period the two leopards were at it again near the bridge. Neither leopard seemed willing to give way, lying only metres apart growling at each other. No long-term solution seems possible for the Newington Male, and this feud is likely to continue well into October. With all his attention being concentrated around the West Street area the rest of his territory is being neglected. This was evident when the Manyelethi Male was seen in the upper reaches of the Mlowathi, which is prime Newington Male territory. August 2006 NEWINGTON MALE *7 YEARS 10 MONTHS Location: SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, EYREFIELD, MALAMALA, NORTHERN-CENTRAL FLOCKFIELD (13 sightings) The Newington Male had a fine month and provided some excellent viewing. At the start of the report period he was seen on eastern Flockfield patrolling territory. This is as far south as this leopard has been seen, and would put him in conflict with the large Hlarulini Male. A few days later the Newington Male was back in the north of the reserve, and this time he was in the company of a slightly nervous female leopard. The two leopards spent the next four days with each other, mating frequently. Then mid month he had a run-in with the Bicycle Crossing Male. This meeting has been long overdue and, as indicated by the map, these two leopards seem to both claim the eastern bank of the Sand River near the Mala Mala Bridge as their own. In any case this was where the two leopards met. The Bicycle Crossing Male crossed onto the western bank, and both leopards roared at each other, evidently unhappy about one another’s company. Five days later the two leopards again clashed over this piece of river frontage, and again it was the Bicycle Crossing Male that crossed the river and roared at the Newington Male. On the second meeting the Newington Male seemed to ignore this young intruder, roaring once and then simply meandering downstream, scent marking as he went. The Bicycle Crossing Male followed the Newington Male for almost an hour, scent marking wherever he had, but did not venture east away from the river when the Newington Male eventually did.
But perhaps the finest sighting of the Newington Male was 3 days later when he was found resting at a waterhole near Emsagwen Open Area. The leopard got active in the late afternoon, heading west. He soon encountered a very big warthog, which he immediately stared to stalk. When he was less than 10 yards away the warthog saw the leopard, and turned to face him. What followed was an incredible blur of speed as the leopard rushed in and grabbed the warthog. The two battled for around 20 minutes, the Newington Male simply ripping open the poor pig’s chest rather than trying to bite through the thick neck and wind pipe as he would usually do to other prey. This was probably in order to avoid the sharp and dangerous tusks on the warthog’s face that could inflict a nasty and perhaps even lethal wound to the leopard. The warthog was very large, in fact too large for the leopard to hoist into a tree. He instead dragged it under a tree and fed on the kill at leisure over the following two days. The Newington Male seems to have a liking for warthog meat and in-depth knowledge of how to kill them and avoid injury from the warthog’s tusks. He was seen on one other warthog kill during the report period, this in the lower reaches of the Matshapiri. All in all August was certainly a good month for the Newington Male.
July 2006 NEWINGTON MALE * 7 YEARS 9 MONTHS SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, EYREFIELD, MALAMALA, NORTHERN-CENTRAL FLOCKFIELD (9 sightings) The Newington Male had a good month and provided some solid viewing. He was seen mainly out on territorial patrols, but at the start of the report period he was seen with a nervous female leopard in the northern parts of the reserve. No mating was seen to take place, but two leopards had been heard mating close to this area in the preceding days, and it is likely that it was these two leopards. Besides this sighting, the Newington Male kept patrolling his vast territory, which as sightings suggest, is certainly large.
June 2006 NEWINGTON MALE * 7 YEARS 8 MONTHS Location: SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, EYREFIELD, MALAMALA, NORTHERN-CENTRAL FLOCKFIELD (6 sightings) The Newington Male had another good month and provided some excellent viewing. At the start of this report period he was seen hunting impala in and around the Matshapiri. Then two days later he was seen in what must be the very south eastern reaches of his territory, close to the Windmill, scent marking and patrolling. He followed a route that the Hlaralini Male is known to follow, and scent marked frequently as he went. This must be the common boundary between these two leopards. In any case the next day the Newington Male was far north and obviously covers a lot of ground in his nocturnal patrols. He was not seen on any kills, but he is still in superb condition and is obviously eating very well. One area of concern for him is the Bicycle Crossing Male and Manyelethi Male who both were seen scent marking in areas thought to be Newington Male territory. Then there is the Son of the White Cloth Female, who is probably the Newington Male’s son as well, who is starting to scent mark in the upper reaches of the Mlowathi. Towards the very end of this report period the Newington Male was found in this region, watching some lions eat an impala that he could very well have killed as he was well fed himself. That night and the following day he patrolled this river system, roaring and advertising his presence. But this is the way with male leopards that must constantly patrol their borders to keep other leopards at bay. The Newington Male has a large piece of land under his control, and doesn’t look like giving any of it up in the near future. May 2006 NEWINGTON MALE * 7 YEARS 7 MONTHS Location: SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, EYREFIELD, MALAMALA, NORTHERN-CENTRAL FLOCKFIELD (9 sightings) The Newington Male had another strong month and reaffirmed his dominance on the northern/central parts of MalaMala. It would seem that May was also a month of exploration for the Newington Male, as he was seen towards the end of the month in areas that are considered to be the northern parts of the Hlaralini Male’s territory. One memorable sighting of the Newington Male was on the 11th of May when he was patrolling his territory, and scent marked frequently along the banks of the Sand River as he made his way northwards towards the MalaMala bridge. To his north, some or other distress call could be heard. He immediately sprinted that way and not long afterwards baboon alarm calls could be heard. When next seen the Newington Male had a baby duiker in his jaws, and was being chased by a number of large male baboons. In all likelihood the baboons had caught the young duiker, and fate had it that the Newington Male was close by and had in turn stolen the duiker from the baboons. Male baboons have been seen to take young antelope and eat them at times, especially when food becomes scarce or when an opportunity presents itself. In any case the Newington Male made short work of the young duiker, and resumed his territorial patrolling. The Newington Male is still a relatively young leopard, and already holds a big portion of land. He already faces some very stern competition from the large Bicycle Crossing Male and stocky Manyelethi Male and the future could hold some stern tests for him.
April 2006 NEWINGTON MALE *7 YEARS 6 MONTHS Location: NORTHERN FLOCKFIELD (9 sightings) The Newington Male had a strong presence this month, patrolling across northern Flockfield, Mala Mala and southern Eyrefield. He was not observed killing anything himself, but was found very well fed one morning in Emsagwen Open Area, while roaring. This opportunistic leopard was seen to scavenge off a dead female kudu cow on western Flockfield. The kudu seemed to have died of natural causes, and judging by the stench, had been dead for quite some time. This did not deter the Newington Male, who cashed in on the free meal before a group of hyaenas moved in and dominated the carcass. Later in the game report period, the Newington Male also stole an adult male impala kill from the Campbell Koppies Female and her cubs. While no interactions with other male leopards were observed, the area covered by the Newington Male this month and his repeated bouts of roaring, suggest that this leopard is under no illusion as to the effort required to maintain a grip on his large territory. A glance at the sightings map will reveal that, again, the Newington Male had a strong presence in the area bordering the territory of the Manyeleti Male. While the Manyeleti Male is a definite pretender to the throne, it would be safe to say that the Newington Male is still the dominant male leopard in the north of Mala Mala. March 2006 NEWINGTON MALE * 7 YEARS 5 MONTHS Location: MALA MALA, SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, SOUTHERN EYREFIELD (8 sightings) All appears well with this large male leopard, as he continues his reign of dominance on the northern-central parts of the reserve. This part of the property is prime leopard habitat and with the high number of young, nomadic males moving through the area (not to mention the Manyeleti Male to his west), the Newington Male will no doubt have his hands full maintaining a hold on his large territory.
The second sighting involved a territorial battle with the Manyeleti Male north of Stwise. The two big leopards were found in parallel display, neither one prepared to give ground but also not willing to get into a physical fight. They were left to themselves in the throes of a psychological battle and subsequent sightings of each male suggest that, as is the case on most occasions, they managed to define their boundary lines without any physical interaction as both were not injured in any way. This altercation was long overdue and many more will no doubt occur in the future. No doubt the struggle for supremacy in the area of the Sand River upstream and downstream of the Mala Mala Camp will be a long, difficult one between these two males. February 2006 NEWINGTON MALE * 7 YEARS 4 MONTH Location: MALA MALA, SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, SOUTHERN EYREFIELD (4 sightings) Sightings of the Newington Male were somewhat scarce during February. However, it is almost certain that he would have spent far more time on Mala Mala than reflected by the number of sightings recorded. The strong presence of the Manyeleti Male on the eastern bank of the Sand River suggests that this younger leopard is really coming of age and will pose a stern test to the Newington Male in the weeks ahead.
January 2006 NEWINGTON MALE * 7 YEARS 3 MONTH Location: MALA MALA, SOUTH-EASTERN MARTHLY, SOUTHERN EYREFIELD (4 sightings) The Newington male leopard appeared to be more elusive in January and was not seen as regularly as in previous months. He was seen asserting his dominance once again by stealing an impala kill from a young male leopard (perhaps the son of the Hlabatini Female) and succeeded in teaching the youngster a lesson, forcing him from the tree where the youngster fell ten meters but escaped the ordeal largely unscathed. MalaMala
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The
Newington Male was involved in two memorable sightings this
last month. The first involved the Ngoboswan Female and her
cubs. It appeared that he was attracted to an area where the
Ngoboswan Female had led her cubs to a stashed sub adult female
kudu kill. Despite the Ngoboswan Female’s best aggressive
efforts to ward him off, he found the cubs and managed to catch
and kill one of them. So aggressive was the interaction between
the two leopards that it was first thought that they were two
male leopards fighting. He moved eastwards with the dead cub
in his mouth, into a donga system, where it is presumed that
he ate the cub. The Ngoboswan female then left the area, and
was seen later further to the southwest with the other cub, obviously
shaken, high up a knobthorn tree. The Newington Male then finished
what was left of the kudu carcass, and spent the next two days
searching the area very thoroughly for the second cub. However,
he was unsuccessful in his murderous quest. During this time,
he again interacted with the Ngoboswan female, chasing her up
a tree. This behaviour confirms suspicions that he did not sire
the cubs. While this infanticidal act may have lowered the popularity
of this leopard with readers, and even rangers alike, it is by
no means abnormal and any other territorial male leopard would
have done the same. Until the Ngoboswan Female mates with the
Newington Male again (remember, he is the father of the Kikilezi
Female who is the Ngoboswan Female’s daughter), he will
always be a threat to her cubs in this area. 