NGOBOSWAN FEMALE
| NGOBOSWAN FEMALE
|
DECEMBER 2001
Location: WESTERN MALA MALA (5 confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan Female)
NOVEMBER 2001NGOBOSWAN FEMALE Location: SE MARTHLY/ WESTERN MALA MALA
9 sightings of one of the 26-month-old daughters of the Ngoboswan Female, the one which is thought to be establishing herself in the area of land to the north and east of her mother. Much of this area used to be controlled by the Mlowathi Female, but she hasn't been seen for some time now. This young female leopard appears to be maturing well and getting more than enough food to eat. The first baby impala killed this year was attributed to this young female. OCTOBER 2001NGOBOSWAN FEMALE Location: WESTERN MALA MALA (3 confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan Female, 16 sightings
of one or other of the daughters alone) The two 25-month-old daughters of the Ngoboswan Female have continued to stay around and provide good viewing. Between the two of them they were seen 16 times this month. All encounters were of them alone and there were no known interactions between either of them and their mother. One of the daughters seems to stay on the western bank of the Sand River, the other on the eastern bank and it is this latter one which has been encountered most frequently and appears to be making a concerted effort to set up a territory to the north and east of her mother, perhaps even appropriating some of her mothers' domain in the process. With the Hlabatini Female noticeably absent from this area and also suffering from an injured leg, the chances look good that this young female may well make it to the territory-establishment phase. At the moment though both daughters still have lessons to learn and the more they move around and experience life, the faster the learning curve will be. SEPTEMBER 2001NGOBOSWAN FEMALE Location: WESTERN MALA MALA (5 confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan Female, 17 sightings
of one or other of the daughters alone) AUGUST 2001 NGOBOSWAN FEMALE Location: WESTERN MALA MALA
Halfway through the month she was seen mating
with the son of the Newington Female and thereafter a more concerted effort
to get her daughters out seemed to develop. Less than a week after the
Ngoboswan Female was mating, she was found chasing after another female
leopard which was probably one of her daughters, circumstances prevented
good identification as the younger animal fled into the reeds. Later in
the day one of these young female was found with fresh wounds on one of
her flanks, almost certainly the result of an interaction with her mother.
Then, ten days after the mating, the other daughter This parting of ways between mother and youngsters is always the course of events in the lives of leopards, but it will be sad to see the two daughters of the Ngoboswan Female leave; they have certainly provided some fine moments. And this month was no exception as the two continued to hunt for themselves within the area of their mothers' territory. Although they are certainly getting plenty to eat, their inexperience is quite obvious and every day is another day in school for them. One of the finer sightings involving one of these young females had the leopard patiently stalking and then eventually catching a young bushbuck. The small antelope was first dragged into the reeds of the Sand River and then taken up a tall tree. Later on, one of the West Street Male lions arrived on the scene, no doubt attracted by the scent of the meat and the leopard. Fortunately both were safe from him and he passed on by. On another occasion, one of the young females was seen killing an impala, but, before she could do anything about securing it or even eating it, had her prize stolen from her by the Rock Drift Male. This must have been a bitter pill for her. Fortunately the Rock Drift Male does not have as evil a disposition as some other male leopards and although he ate most of the kill, he allowed her to at least feed on some of it. Aside from these few successes, most of the time these young leopards were simply stalking; a never-ending pursuit for them to outwit the prey and discovering just how difficult it is to catch them. JULY 2001 1 ADULT FEMALE Location: WESTERN MALA MALA (4 confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan Female,
1 of these together with one of her daughters, 14 sightings of one or
other of the daughters alone) JUNE 20011 ADULT FEMALE Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD (no confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan Female, 21 sightings
of the daughters, all of these of them alone) MAY 2001 1 ADULT FEMALE Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD (7 confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan Female, 1 of these together with both daughters, 1 of these with only one daughter, 1 sighting of the two cubs together but without their mother, 16 sightings of only one of the cubs alone.) Most of the sightings of the two daughters of the Ngoboswan Female were when they were on their own. All indications are that they will shortly be chased off and forced to fend for themselves. But this should be absolutely no problem for them. This month there were several sightings of the youngsters actively hunting and, with body condition a sure sign of success, both are doing well for themselves. On one occasion the one young female was seen trailing a young duiker and then finally pouncing upon the small antelope and, in the manner so often seen with young predators, taking over half-an-hour to finally kill it. These 'cat-and-mouse' games when the prey is caught and played with are certainly no fun for the victim, but should hopefully produce a more efficient hunter which then learns to dispatch its future victims with greater skill. In this particular incident, the young leopard was fortunate that no other predator heard the desperate distress calls of the young duiker and she ended up having it all to herself.
APRIL 2001NGOBOSWAN FEMALE Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD (12 confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan
Female, 4 of these together with both daughters, 5 of these with only
one daughter, 2 sightings of the two cubs together but without their mother,
7 sightings of only one of the cubs alone.) FEBRUARY 2001NGOBOSWAN FEMALE Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD (5
confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan Female, 1 of these together with
both daughters, 2 of these with only one daughter, one sighting of the
two cubs together but without their mother, 10 sightings of only one of
the cubs alone.) FEBRUARY 2001NGOBOSWAN FEMALE Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ NW FLOCKFIELD (11 confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan
Female, 3 of these together with both daughters, 4 of these with only
one daughter, no sightings of the two cubs together but without their
mother, 8 sightings of only one of the cubs alone.) MalaMala
Game Reserve, PO Box 55514, Northlands, 2116, South Africa. Copyright © Rattray Reserves |
NGOBOSWAN
FEMALE
(14
sightings of the two 27-month-old daughters of the Ngoboswan Female) Not
much is seen of the one youngster which appears to be trying to set up
territory to the south and west of her mothers' domain. This may well
be a difficult area for her to work in. Not only would her mother be an
adversary, but so too would the Newington Female. The other daughter which
has been patrolling property to the north and east of where the Ngoboswan
Female resides may have a good chance of establishing herself. The Mlowathi
Female seems to have vanished and so she is now no longer an opponent
and the Hlabatini Female, although potentially still a worry for the young
leopard, may really not be so keen to stand up and fight, particularly
not with her injured right-front leg. This daughter of the Ngoboswan Female
was seen several times this month, marking territory as well as hunting.
Much of her most concentrated territorial markings - spray urination,
facial gland rubbing, foot-scraping etc. - appears to be along the border
common to both her and her mother. Hunting has also been good for this
young leopard, this evidenced largely by her apparently good body condition
and vigour with which she patrols the area which she is trying to claim.
Towards the middle of December this young female killed an adult female
impala which was still pregnant - unusual for this time of year when most
of the lambs have already been born. Anyway, the young leopard must have
somehow managed to creep up to the impala which were in a relatively open
piece of land and nabbed one. Then her problem was concealment. Cover
was scarce and all the young leopard managed to do was to drag the carcass
towards some scrubby trees amongst a pile of small boulders. Within an
hour vultures had seen what was happening and were starting to circle
and descend. But for some reason they did not stay and moved on and the
young leopard managed to keep her food. 
(6
confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan Female, 9 sightings of one or other
of the daughters alone) 
There
were relatively few sightings of the Ngoboswan Female this month, but
plenty of her daughters which have still stubbornly stayed at least on
the peripheries of her territory. There were no known encounters with
these various leopards during October, except of course by way of detecting
the presence of one another through smells. But perhaps the Ngoboswan
Female has at least succeeded in forcing her daughters to remain on the
edges of her territory. This would certainly be a start in the regaining
of the integrity of her own area and in preparation for the next litter
of cubs to be born perhaps in November. One of the best sightings of the
Ngoboswan Female took place at the beginning of the game-report period
when she chanced upon one of the approximately 3-year-old sons of the
Paradise Valley Female and chased him out of her territory, pursuing him
with obvious wrath until he was well beyond her eastern border. 
Perhaps
the almost aggressive manner in which the two sisters have been rejecting
their mothers' efforts of forcing them to leave is a sign of the success
with which they have been hunting and looking after themselves in the
area. If they did not have the energy, they simply could not mount any
sort of meaningful response. But they still have much to learn and there
will always be times when they can only handle a situation by retreating
in the face of greater adversaries. The one youngster was seen losing
remains of a kill to the Mlowathi Female, the leopard which occupies the
area north of the Ngoboswan Female; the younger leopard did not even attempt
to defend her kill against such an experienced and bigger leopard. On
another occasion, three cheetahs 'discovered' probably this same young
leopard with an adult male bushbuck kill, an item of prey only a very
foolish or confidant young leopard would take. The cheetahs could of course
do nothing about stealing it and the young leopard simply did not have
the strength to take it into the safety of a tree, so when the third of
Africa's big cats arrived on the scene, these the three dominant male
lions of the area, the daughter of the Ngoboswan could only abandon her
food and run. As for the Ngoboswan Female herself, she may well be pregnant
and due to give birth towards the end of November, this after the mating
with the Newington Male around the 9th August. Hopefully by that stage
all territorial complexities would have been finalised - for a short while
at least. 
(5
confirmed sightings of the Ngoboswan Female, 1 of these together with
one of her daughters, 28 sightings of one or other of the daughters alone)
appeared
with some vicious looking bite-marks on her lower back, again, perhaps
inflicted by her mother when the two tangled. So maybe this latest mating
has been successful and the Ngoboswan Female will step up her efforts
to encourage the departure of her daughters. 
At
least two antelope were seen being killed by one or the other of these
youngsters, an adult male duiker in the one instance and a young bushbuck
on the second occasion. Just whether the Ngoboswan Female is pregnant
or not is uncertain. If her mating with the son of the Newington Female
in early May was successful, then cubs could be expected in mid August.
However, when seen, she certainly did not appear pregnant and then, slightly
after mid July when there were no sightings of her, a pair of mating leopards
was heard close to the Mala Mala Main Camp. The mating continued for several
days and upon occasion staff members glimpsed the pair from their quarters.
Unfortunately access with landrovers was frustratingly impossible and
so there was no identification of the leopards involved. However, given
the location and the fact that the Mlowathi Female, the one female which
might also have been mating - this due to territorial proximity - has
recently given birth, chances are good that it was the Ngoboswan Female.
Time will tell. What is bound to happen over the next few weeks is a concerted
effort from the Ngoboswan Female to force her daughters out. There was
one sighting in late July of one of the youngsters meeting up with her
mother and although hostilities were not great, snarling could be heard
as they walked off into the reeds. An intensification of this and directed
from the Ngoboswan Female towards her daughters can be anticipated. Just
where these two young females will go is uncertain. It is always hoped
that a place will be available close by to their mothers' territory, but
this is not always possible. The young female which appears to spend much
of her time on the eastern bank of the Sand River may well have the best
opportunity of finding a close-to-home spot. Again, time will tell. 
For
the first time in many months there was not a single confirmed sighting
of the Ngoboswan Female, but plenty of her two daughters. It was almost
as if the Ngoboswan Female was doing everything possible to avoid the
two, to make them forget about her and then eventually leave the area
to start a life of their own. On one occasion tracks suggested that she
and one of the daughters had walked a great distance together and then
parted ways. Who knows what was communicated on this walk, it could well
have been aggression from the mother. This also hints at another litter
of cubs in the not too distant future, this perhaps following her mating
with the son of the Newington Female during early May. For the two sisters,
however, life seems to be good. Although they really do seem to be getting
enough to eat - and they have certainly been seen on several kills which
they have made - they do maintain a youthful streak in them, which causes
them to do things which adult leopards would not. At one sighting, one
of the youngsters spent at least one hour chasing vervet monkeys in some
acacia thickets. These archenemies of leopards are a constant annoyance
as they chatter their warnings and curses. The wise leopard leaves them
alone - they are mostly too agile to chase and catch and even if one is
caught, it represents no meal of consequence. For the young leopards,
however, the frustration often proves too much and this was seen with
the one daughter of the Ngoboswan Female, particularly with the memory
that she has caught monkeys before. Towards the end of the chase, a monkey
launched itself from one tree to another and the leopard shot up after
it and followed as the ape fled from tree-top to tree-top in the canopy
of some closely growing umbrella thorns. Eventually, with its momentum
failing, the upper branches could not carry the weight of the leopard
and it plummeted to the ground, blood dripping from a cut on its nose.
After this the leopard gave up and retreated with as much dignity as she
could muster, hopefully a little wiser. Just when these two will eventually
move from the area is not known, but it will unfortunately be soon as
they get chased away to form a territory of their own. 
Aside
from the above some of the most startling news involving the Ngoboswan
Female during May was of her mating. The mating itself has been expected
for some time now, but what made this event so different was that she
mated with the 2-and-a-half-year-old son of the Newington Female and not
with the dominant male leopard of the area. All three leopards were seen
together, with the Ngoboswan Female flirting with a most agitated young
male leopard. All the while, her past mate, the generally nervous male
with a short tail which has dominated the area for some years now and
is also probably the father of the young male, was hovering in the background.
At one time it was thought that he may have been apprehensive of the vehicles
and that when the leopards were left to themselves, he would rush in and
teach the young male a lesson. However, this did not happen and the next
day there was a brief sighting of only the female and the young male heading
into the thick reeds of the Sand River in front of the Mala Mala Main
Camp. An absence of wounds on the young male also indicated that his father
had not harmed him. By this stage no actual matings had been witnessed
and although the Ngoboswan Female continued to flirt with the young male,
she was rewarded only with snarls and him moving away. Forty-eight hours
later the pair were still together and not much had changed, except that
a single mating was witnessed. But this must have been at the very end
of things and it is almost certain that the son of the Newington Female
had managed to conduct himself in a respectable manner. The dominance
of the male came to the fore when the pair made their way towards the
Sand River again and a cane rat came scuttling out. Mating forgotten,
the young male pounced and caught the small animal. When the female approached,
surely hoping for at least a mouthful, vicious snarls warned her back
and she wandered off as the male ate the kill. When it was finished, he
headed off in search of her. Surprisingly, a week after this mating, the
Ngoboswan Female was back with both of her daughters on an impala kill.
This was the only sighting during May of all three of these leopards together. 
These
three leopards continued to entertain all with their antics this month.
Although sightings of the Ngoboswan Female and her cubs during March hinted
at this little family group splitting up, the behaviour this month told
quite a different story. Nonetheless, the daughters are certainly becoming
more and more independent and would probably be most capable of looking
after themselves if abandoned now. At one sighting this month, the one
young female was found with a freshly killed adult male impala. It is
thought that the impala was injured before the young leopard chanced upon
it, but she certainly knew what to do with the opportunity when it presented
itself. The carcass was a fraction too large for her to take into a tree,
but she managed to secure it to at least some extent by dragging it beneath
the fallen branch of a scented thorn acacia. This concealment was however
not quite good enough and the next day a lone hyaena chanced upon the
scene and appropriated the kill. Although the young leopard realised that
she had to keep her distance from the hyaena, she remained in the general
area and still managed to steal back some of her meal.