Sons of the Paradise Valley Female
April 2003

5 confirmed sightings of the approximately four-and-a-half-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female. 
This leopard seems to be behaving at his nomadic best, taking chances and moving on.  He was seen sporting some nasty cuts under his front right leg, perhaps inflicted by an angry warthogs tusks.  All sightings were on western Flockfield, basically along the Sand River and between where the Kapen and Matshapiri Rivers join the Sand. 

At the end of the month, he was found with a bushbuck kill in a large Jakkalberry Tree, close to the confluence on the Matshapiri and Sand Rivers.  But he looked a concerned leopard; at least three and possibly four other leopards were also in the general area, these including the Kapen Female and her 18-month-old daughter, the Ngoboswan Female and the Rock Drift Male.  The Son of the Paradise Valley Female was quite aware of the presence of most of these other leopards and although none actually approached him in the tree, they were close enough to make him feel insecure and spend most of his time almost lying on top of the carcass.  In the end, no other leopards were seen to challenge him for the kill and after three days he moved away from the area without any physical hostilities having occurred.

March 2003
There were perhaps as many as four sightings of what could very well have been the approximately four-and-a-half-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female.  All encounters with this leopard were near the Sand River, mostly to the west of it and on Charleston.  Spot patterns obtained certainly suggested that the leopard in question was indeed this particular leopard.
February 2003
No confirmed sightings of the son the paradise Valley female
January 2003

One confirmed sightings of the 4-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female:

This sighting, on western Charleston, east of the Sand River, was the first confirmed sighting of this young male leopard in several weeks. He was eating a monkey at the time. A few days before this and in much the same area, there was also a sighting of a young male leopard, which, unfortunately, was not positively identified. Chances are, however, that is was this same young male. With other male leopards showing signs of moving into this particular area of the reserve, one wonders for just how long the son of the Paradise Valley Female will still stay around.

December 2002
No confirmed sightings of the son the paradise Valley female
November 2002

1 confirmed sightings of the nearly 4-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female: This single sighting was at the very beginning of this game-report period and there were no other hints of his presence later on in the month. When encountered on this occasion, the young leopard was busy scent-marking, showing signs of territorial behaviour, something which up until now he really has not displayed. So, has this sudden interest in territory raised the concern of other male leopards in the area and has the son of the Paradise Valley Female been chased off? Time may tell, but certainly up until now it has been believed that his stay on Mala Mala has largely been a result of what might be termed a lack of ambition; the other male leopards - and here mainly, the Rock Drift Male, which is probably his father - have not seen him as a threat and so have left him alone.

October 2002
2 confirmed sightings of the nearly 4-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female: The only two sightings of this young male leopard were on successive days towards the end of the game-report period and were of the leopard eating a bushbuck kill which had been taken into a large tree. This occurred on the western parts of Charleston on the eastern bank of the Sand River. It's quite likely that this leopard was active on Mala Mala far more regularly than sightings suggest.
September 2002
7 confirmed sightings of the nearly 4-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female: This young male leopard spent the month on the eastern bank of the Sand River, close to the central-south portions of the reserve. There was one sighting of the son of the Paradise Valley Female near the Mala Mala Bridge, but its difficult to say how long he remained in this area. The last encounter with him during September was further south in the river again, at the time in the area where a large herd of buffaloes was drinking. Whilst other male leopards of his age have wandered far from their home-ground and/ or competed hard for territories, the son of the Paradise Valley Female seems almost uninterested in these sorts of things and appears happy to simply carry on living day to day.
August 2002
6 confirmed sightings of the nearly 4-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female: This young male leopard seemed to spend the month close to the Sand River and in the central south of the reserve, perhaps an area where other male leopards have been reasonably absent, and here notably the Beaumonts Male, of which there has been no confirmed sighting for several months now. Towards the end of August, sightings hinted at the Son of the Paradise Valley Female moving north, this perhaps in response to sightings of a male leopard in the south-central parts of Sand River, and perhaps also due to the prey species in the area wising up to his movements and becoming more difficult to catch. There was one sighting of a male leopard, thought to have been the Son of the Paradise Valley Female, on the Charleston/ Flockfield Boundary, east of the Sand River. There were perhaps four other sightings of male leopards which could have been of this particular young male. In all cases circumstances prevented a positive confirmation of the leopards identity.
July 2002

2 confirmed sightings of the nearly 4-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female:

Both encounters where on western Charleston, east of the Sand River, a part of the reserve where this young leopard certainly spent some time in the past. As has been so much apart of this young leopards' character, he has shown almost no signs of wanting to take over an area. Instead, he appears content to wander around, finding what food he can and staying out of harms way.

A sighting this month of a young male leopard in this area chasing what may have been the two-and-a-half-year-old daughter of the Ngoboswan Female was probably of this young male leopard. Another part of his behaviour which has come to the fore is his willingness to harass leopards weaker than himself, such as females and their young. The interaction between the young leopards was openly hostile, although no physical damage was done. The young female retreated to the top of a tree where she hissed and spat at the male below.

There was one other sighting on NW Charleston, at the Sand River, of a young male leopard, probably the son of the Paradise Valley Female.

June 2002
The 5 confirmed sightings of the three-and-a-half-or-so-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female were all on western Mala Mala, east of the Sand River. On one occasion he had an impala kill in a tree opposite the Mala Mala Main Camp for a couple of days. Luckily for this young male leopard he escaped the attentions of the dominant male of the area, the Newington Male. On another occasion, evidence suggested that the son of the Paradise Valley Female had appropriated a bushbuck kill from the Ngoboswan Female and her cubs. And this is what he gets away with - avoiding the big males and, if he cannot kill for himself, steals from the female leopards.
May 2002
There were only 2 confirmed sightings of the three-and-a-half-or-so-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female, both on western Flockfield. However, there were other encounters with young male leopards in which circumstances prevented positive identification of the individual, but which could in all likelihood have been this particular male. Little seems to have changed for the son of the Paradise Valley Female. He seems to live a somewhat charmed life in that none of the resident male leopards seem to be inclined to chase him off. Most of the area in which he lives is controlled by his father, the Rock Drift Male, a leopard with which he seems to have had a particularly close relationship even when nearly 2 years old. Perhaps the other males do not see him as a threat because he engages in almost no behaviour which could be construed as insurrectionary. There have been a few instances when the son of the Paradise Valley Female scent-marks (and these may be getting more frequent), but he otherwise does not appear in any way keen on battling for an area of his own - and this may be the secret to why he has been tolerated by the other males. But the females that encounter him must hate him; he would almost certainly steal any kills which they have, his larger size almost guaranteeing that they back off if he threatens. At one sighting of what was almost certainly this young male - this on the central parts of the reserve - the leopard was found with two kills in one tree, both young impalas, one male the other female. The one-and-a-half-year-old daughter of the White Cloth Female (which in the past has experienced hostility from the son of the Paradise Valley Female) was also seen in the area, no doubt having been attracted by the meat. But she was to get none of it and by the next day was gone from the area.
April 2002
At least 5 sightings of the three-and-a-half-or-so-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female.
Most of these encounters with this nomadic young leopard were on western Mala Mala and NW Flockfield. There was one sighting of a young male leopard having an aggressive meeting with the Newington Male on NW Mala Mala. This young leopard was at one stage thought to have been the son of the Paradise Valley Female, but at the same time another leopard, also thought to be the son of the Paradise Valley Female, was being followed as it walked north along the length of the Mlowathi River. At least one of the two young leopards seen must in all likelihood have been the son of the Paradise Valley Female since he had been positively identified in the general area the previous day. Aside from pursuing canerats and sauntering around, the son of the Paradise Valley Female was seen to do little else exciting this month. A sighting of a young male leopard along the mid-reaches of the Matshapiri River was tentatively called as the son of the Paradise Valley Female. A relaxed young male leopard seen close to the Kruger National Park boundary with central Flockfield may also have been this particular leopard.
March 2002

7 sightings of the three-and-a-half-or-so-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female.
This young leopard continued to roam around, probably trying to avoid other more dominant male leopards and at the same time trying to find food. But at his age and with his now extensive experience of having to look after himself, the leopard appears to be prospering.

All sightings of the son of the Paradise Valley Female were on SW Mala Mala or NW Flockfield. This area has also, up until halfway through the month, been the area mostly covered by the White Cloth Female and her two youngsters. One wonders whether the presence of this young male in this area may perhaps have been reason for the White Cloth Females' departure to the southeastern parts of the reserve. A young male of this nature could only spell bad news for a small female leopard with cubs to care for. Not only may such a leopard pose a direct danger to the cubs, but would be a threat to their food supply as well.

The son of the Paradise Valley Female did supply good viewing, particularly over one three-day period, starting from when he was found out on the hunt one evening. After being observed stalking around the bush, trying to catch mongooses and other small creatures, the leopard was seen killing an adult female Nyala, a good-sized antelope and fine food for the leopard. The following morning the leopard was still in the area, but had not secured the carcass in a tree. Instead, the remains of the Nyala were dragged into a Kiaat thicket and here too rested the leopard. By the evening of this second day, a hyaena had appropriated the carcass and whilst it fed, the leopard rested nearby, no doubt hoping to reclaim some of its meal. But then both lost out when a lone lioness appeared and simply took the whole thing. Both leopard and hyaena made themselves scarce. The following morning, the lioness was still in the area, as was the leopard, this time in tree watching the larger cat below and perhaps still hoping to get back for himself some of the meat.

February 2002
There were two sightings of the three-or-so-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female. Both sightings were in a similar area, this being north-central Mala Mala. The first encounter saw this young male and the White Cloth Female confront each other. Although the two leopards were at some stages very close to one another and it was clear that neither cared much for the other, no physical interaction was seen and both went their separate ways.
January 2002

4 sightings with probably the same nearly 3-and-a-half-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female: All sightings were close to the middle and lower reaches of the Matshapiri River; goodness knows where else this young leopard wanders. At this stage of his life, adult male leopards with territories will start looking towards him with increasing hostility. Up until now, this young male leopard seems to have had a rather easy time, harassing the smaller female leopards and probably being tolerated to a large degree by others, particularly by the Rock Drift Male which is almost certainly his father.

November 2001
6 sightings of one of the approximately three-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female.
This young male continues to wander up and down the game reserve with impunity. But his condition remains good and there were no sightings of him this month harassing any of the resident female leopards or their offspring. Perhaps as he gets older and more skilled, so hunting becomes easier and the need to scavenge not as great.
October 2001

Both approximately 3-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female were seen over the course of October - a total of 9 sightings and although these were mostly towards the north of the reserve, covered some of the central parts close to the Sand River as well.

As these two wander their way around, so they interact with others and learn the lessons of life. Towards the beginning of the game-report period, the one young male had the misfortune of meeting up with the Ngoboswan Female and was harried out of the area. His encounters with the White Cloth Female and other smaller leopards in the recent past have been mostly one-sided, but with the large Ngoboswan Female, it was the young male which did the running.

Another memorable sighting of one of these young males occurred when he was found dragging the nearly complete carcass of an adult male impala towards a leafy tree. All looked set for him to take the carcass up the tree when he decided not to. Instead, the leopard fed on the ground for a while and then climbed into the tree to groom himself. This turned out to be a costly error; a hyaena suddenly appeared on the scene and with scarcely a glance at the leopard, helped itself to the impala carcass. Soon the great crushing jaws of the hyaena were at work and its belly almost seemed to swell as it ate, wolfing down great chunks of meat. The leopard just stared, seemingly content that he was up the tree and at least out of potential harms way. Then, when the hyaena could eat no more and started to drag the kill off to some area of safety where it could perhaps complete its meal at a more leisurely pace, the leopard leapt from the tree and grabbed at a piece of meat. The hyaena lunged at the young leopard, who snatched up a morsel (an almost meatless limb) and fled for the safety of a tall Marula Tree. The following day this young leopard was some kilometres away, wandering northwards, evidently having been unable to regain anything substantial of the kill.

September 2001

There were at least 15 sightings of the three-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female - the one thought to be the more relaxed of the pair. Most sightings were to the north of the reserve and close to the Sand River. Several involved interactions with other leopards. One of the first encounters of the month had this young male shadowing the nearly 2-year-old daughter of the Kapen Female. It is not known if the young female was aware of the presence of the young male, but both went their separate ways without being seen to interact. Two days later the son of the Paradise Valley Female was harassing the cousins of this young female, namely the one-year-old cubs of the White Cloth Female. The young male was seen chasing these youngsters which fled in terror. It is not known what would have happened if he had caught these younger leopards. Fortunately he soon gave up on them and went on to hunt, catching a Francolin and a Slender Mongoose, prey really only pursued by young and fairly desperate leopards.

From here the young male went further north, and was later seen with the remains of an impala in a skimpy tree - he may have caught it himself or could have stolen it from another leopard. Whilst he was still in the area of this kill which was very close to the Mala Mala bridge, a herd of impala came down to drink, providing a seemingly easy chance for him to make another kill. The leopard stalked the impala and when all seemed set, rushed in but was perhaps bewildered by the prey rushing off in all directions and failed to catch anything. Thereafter things seemed to improve for this young male leopard and he was seen killing a cane rat and then with a duiker kill on successive days. He also managed to catch a young male warthog towards the end of the month (unless this too had been stolen from another leopard). Although this youngster is still not mature, he is a fair size larger than most female leopards and is usually able to dominate most thoroughly. However, things to not always go his way and this was seen when he wandered up the Mlowathi River and encountered the Tlebe Rocks Male on the remains of an impala kill. The young male watched the older one feeding and approached fairly confidently, only to be met with real aggression from the larger and more confidant Tlebe Rocks Male. A scuffle broke out and the young male was forced to show extreme submission.

At the end of the day, the thieving of kills and the blatant disrespect for territory shown by this young male will do no female leopards or their offspring any favours and in the same light will not help any adult male leopard in terms of ensuring that his offspring get the best possible chance of survival. Sooner or later the cub of Paradise Valley Female may well find himself in a predicament which teaches him a little more respect. Unfortunately for him, his father, the Rock Drift Male, has always been most tolerant of his behaviour and so the young male has perhaps grown accustomed to such an attitude. Anyways, it may soon be time for a rude awakening.

August 2001

Of the young male leopards which have been often-encountered on Mala Mala over the last year-and-a-half of so, probably only one of the three-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female was seen during August and only four or five times. This young male is starting to roam far and wide, perhaps spurred on by interactions with male leopards other than his father, the Rock Drift Male, which has always shown great tolerance towards his son. These other male leopards which appear to be moving in to take over the portions of the territory which the Rock Drift Male has abandoned in the south would be decidedly unfriendly towards this close-to-adult son of the Paradise Valley Female. And so the young male is moving off. Since his brother has not been seen, it can be assumed that he too has moved away, but this taking him off Mala Mala and it is highly likely that he will never be seen again. Anyway, if the remaining brother continues behaving as he did in August, other leopards will soon also try to run him out. For at least some of the month the movements of this leopard took him into direct conflict with the White Cloth Female and, being bigger than her, he dominated. On one occasion he was seen appropriating a kill from her and her two cubs. Fortunately for the mother and youngsters they had eaten most of the carcass before the young male arrived and chased them off. He can certainly do his own hunting and was seen waiting patiently to kill a large cane rat, but if there are others to do the hard work for one, let them - that would be the motto of this youngster and any other predator for that matter. The presence of the young male in the area of the White Cloth Female definitely seemed to affect her and much of her behaviour changed, probably to avoid him, whenever he had been in the area. Given the other parts of the reserve he appears to have been roaming in, he would also have come into conflict with leopards such as the Kapen and Ngoboswan Females. The fact too that his movements continue to keep him in his fathers' territory will not help these females since he dominates several of them and so far has shown no aversion to his presence. What the female leopards want is for a large and socially mature male leopard to teach him a lesson and chase him off.

July 2001

Eight confirmed and two possible sightings of one or the other of the sons of the Paradise Valley Female. One encounter was on SW Flockfield; the others were all south of Flockfield and north and east of the Sand River, predominantly on western Charleston. These two young leopards are now approaching three years of age and for some or other reason have not left the area. From a viewing point of view they have of course provided some fine moments. One of the young males spent several days during July in the same general area of the bed of the Sand River. On one morning he was found eating a Nile Monitor, but whether the leopard had killed it or not is unknown, because, also in the general area was a honey badger. These small and vicious carnivores have certainly been known to also catch monitor lizards and this one may have had its kill stolen from it by the leopard.

June 2001
13 sightings of the less-than-three-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female. Most of these encounters were of the 'more relaxed' of the two young males. Except for one sighting on central Flockfield, all were on Charleston or Toulon north of the Sand River. As to be expected viewing was essentially of young male leopards still learning about life - this can of course provide for both entertaining as well as unusual sightings. On one occasion the one young male was seen interacting with two young female cheetahs. Although cheetahs typically flee from any other predator, this was not the immediate case and something of a stalemate situation developed with the cheetahs not showing perhaps as much respect for the leopard as he would have hoped for. Unknown to the young leopard of course, this particular pair of cheetahs had on several occasions witnessed their mother unusually and bravely stand up to other predators and so were perhaps conditioned along these lines. At another sighting, one of the young males was followed to the stinking remains of an adult hyaena carcass. It is quite likely that this hyaena had been killed by lions or perhaps in a clash with another clan. After feeding for some time, the young male went to sleep close to the carcass, but was soon awakened by other hyaenas approaching the area. With an immediate instinct to safeguard his food, the young leopard hauled his macabre booty into a nearby tree.
May 2001

18 sightings of the two approximately 2-and-a-half-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female, none of these of the two brothers together. All sightings were on Flockfield and Charleston - the central and southern areas of the reserve and north of the Sand River. Most of the encounters with these two were fairly standard - good viewing of young leopards exploring their world and honing their skills. However, three incidents stand out from the rest.
Towards the beginning of May, whilst out patrolling one evening, the one young male chanced upon the large herd of buffalo. Leopards ordinarily simply bypass these large animals and even if there are tempting young calves in the herds, will think before trying to catch one. However, for the young male leopard the temptation was too great and he had soon stalked in amongst the outskirts of the herd. Whether it was by design or a slip in his judgement when he launched an attack, he found himself for the briefest of moments on the back of an adult buffalo. The reaction was obvious and he was off in a flash and disappeared with the bellows of the enraged buffalo following him.
Then, a few days later, he was again found tempting fate, this time with lions. Members of the Windmill Pride had managed to kill an adult giraffe in a steep-sided and wooded gully and the prospect of some apparently easy-to-steal meat seemed to appeal to one of the young sons of the Paradise Valley Female. In the end, the young leopard spent at least 6 days in the vicinity of the lions. It is not certain whether he managed to eat anything from the rotting kill since all sightings were either of him watching the carcass and lions or of him up various trees evading the lions. Although the lions were certainly aware of his presence, they paid him scant attention, except on the first day when a two-year-old lioness devoted a fair amount of energy to chasing him.
The final memorable incident occurred a few days after the scraps of the giraffe kill were finally abandoned and the one young male was found together with the Kapen Female. This female leopard has had several run-ins with probably both brothers and none of them have been friendly. However, as the young males have grown in size and gained confidence, so the Kapen Female has had greater difficulty in dominating over them. In this incident, the two leopards spent at least one-and-a-half hours snarling at each other before the main object of the aggression was discovered - the freshly killed carcass of an adult male impala hidden not far off. When the Kapen Female eventually backed off and ran towards the kill, the male leopard followed. After she had finished feeding, the Kapen Female slunk off and showed not the slightest annoyance when the male took her place. And so it went for the next few days until the carcass was completely devoured.

April 2001

At least 14 sightings of the two close to 2-and-a-half-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female. Both young males were seen, all sightings of the two separately. Encounters were concentrated around the central and south-central areas of the reserve, some of them being south of the Sand River on northern Toulon. As is usually the case with siblings, both leopards have their own character and are generally referred to as the 'relaxed' and 'less-relaxed' cubs of the Paradise Valley Female respectively. However, now that they are independent and the presence of one is not there to influence the behaviour of the other, they both appear most comfortable with game-drive landrovers in attendance. As in the recent past, the two young males have been providing good viewing, whether this may be in the daily course of their wanderings around the area, or when engaged in some specific incident. Towards the end of April, one of them had to flee for his life, seeking safety in the upper branches of a Marula tree when the three lions of the Marthly Pride pursued him. In the middle of April, one of the young leopards was found with a freshly killed bushbuck, but later had to haul it into the scraggly branches of a tree when a hyaena tried to appropriate it from him. Such encounters are part and parcel of a leopard's daily life and for young leopards, are vital stages in their education.

March 2001

Other young male leopards to provide most entertaining viewing over the course of March were the two sons of the Paradise Valley Female. Both cubs are probably about 28 months old and were chased off by their mother several months ago, but have not yet found an excuse to move off into the big wide world. This of course has been to the advantage of viewing. This month there were 19 sightings of these two leopards, one of them when the two came together. This event happened when the one leopard had killed an adult female bushbuck and then, some days later whilst he was still feeding on it, his brother chanced on the scene and the two had a minor scuffle - it was quite apparent that brotherly love did not exist. Fortunately no injuries were sustained. At another of the sightings the Kapen Female chanced upon the one young male. Some months ago, this same female leopard was seen relentlessly pursuing one of these youngsters, perhaps the same one. When she initially saw the leopard standing in the road, the Kapen Female appeared unsure of herself, perhaps due to the fact that the other leopard was noticeably larger than what she is. However, after an initially panicky response, the Kapen Female showed her metal and the young male did all he could to show that he was submissive. At the end of the month, one of the brothers was seen killing a pregnant steenbok. He only started feeding on it the morning after he had killed it and then later took it up into the branches of a tree. The sojourn of young male leopards is always too short - as far as viewing pleasure goes - and it is surely only a matter of time before both leopards move off, chased by the resident dominant animals, and of course in response to their own curiosity of what lies beyond.

February 2001

There were at least 10 sightings of the two sons of the Paradise Valley Female and two others which were probably of the 'less relaxed' of the two young males. These two approximately 2-year-old males are showing no signs of wanting to leave the area of where they grew up, except perhaps to expand the limits of their wanderings. The one referred to as the less relaxed of the two has been seen as far north as the mid-reaches of the Kapen River where he is sure to come into contact with the White Cloth Female. The 'more relaxed' of the two young males put some fine displays this month. He was first seen scaling a tree and catching a young monkey from a troop which were chattering away at him and then, several days later, caught a dwarf mongoose. As is so often the case with these small items of prey, adult leopards seldom bother with them, but they form invaluable training kills for youngsters.

January 2001

9 sightings of at least one of the approximately 2-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female - probably all of the same one, the more relaxed of the two brothers. The fact that he is still alive and in apparently good condition shows that he is doing fine in these early days of independence. But as could be expected with the young and learning, there is always room for progress. Watching a youngster like this hunting shows the great inefficiency compared with the style of a mature and experienced leopard. Every sound is responded to and much precious time is wasted stalking after items which sound tempting but in fact represent nothing more than a small mouse or a falling leaf. These are things which an adult leopard would mostly totally ignore. However, this early learning experience will hopefully teach this young leopard just what can be responded to and what can be left alone and so the efficiency with which he goes about his daily life will improve. Just how long this youngster will still be around can only be guessed at. There was again a sighting this month of him together with his father, the Rock Drift Male, and as has become expected with these encounters, absolutely no hostilities were shown towards the youngster. With this attitude from at least some of the leopards of the area, then this young male may still be around for quite some time. If, however, he experiences incidents as happened last month when the Kapen Female furiously chased him, then he would be encouraged to leave. It is not clear what has happened to his mother, the Paradise Valley Female, but it may well be that she has a new litter of cubs and that these have kept her localised around their lair sight.

December 2000

There were six sightings of the sons of the Paradise Valley Female, these all north of the Sand River, but towards the southern reaches of Mala Mala. As with the son of the Newington Female, these young males are surely outstaying their welcome, not only in their mothers' territory, but also in the areas controlled by other females. This month one of them was seen being pursued by the relatively diminutive Kapen Female. Although slightly smaller than the young male leopard, the Kapen Female showed absolutely no fear and expended a great amount of time chasing him, indicating quite clearly her displeasure at his presence. Such interactions will surely increase and these two young males will no doubt soon be on their way to explore the world beyond their current boundaries.

November 2000

14 sightings of the two approximately 2-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female. This female abandoned her sons several months ago now and they have been living independnetly since then, mostly on Charleston. Of the two sons, one is a great deal more relaxed than the other and it is this one which has been seen most frequently. Fortunately for these two leopards, their father, the Rock Drift Male, is most happy to have them around, even to the extent of sharing food with them. This was seen during November when the more relaxed of the two sons probably consumed the majority of an adult female bushbuck which had been killed by the Rock Drift Male. Throughout all this time the adult male showed not the slightest sign of aggression towards the youngster, perhaps because the latter certainly displayed signs of submission to him. Nonetheless, the tolerance was surprising. Later in the month this same young male was found with the carcass of an adult duiker, indicating that he certainly is well on the way to looking after himself in a most competant manner. Towards the end of the month one of the young leopards was found observing the Rock Drift Male and Newington Female mating; a male lion also arrived on the scene and chased all of the leopards.

October 2000

At least nine sightings of young male leopards, the sons of the Paradise Valley Female. These two youngsters are approximately two years of age and have been seen on Charleston and Toulon north of the Sand River. At this stage the adult leopards resident in the area are apparently tolerating them. One of the young males is much more relaxed than the other and it is this one which has been seen more frequently. As is so often the case with these youngsters, the life in the early stages of independence involves a rapid learning curve. Due to a lack of hunting skills, such youngsters are probably more often hungry than not and have to make do with meals which skilled adults scarcely bother to look at. This was seen this month when the more relaxed of the two brothers was seen catching and killing a banded mongoose. Such hunts, although for small and often unappetising meals, not only serve to diminish hunger pangs, but also add to the skills so needed to catch more substantial prey. There were no sightings of these youngsters together or with their mother.

September 2000

There were at least 9 sightings of young male leopards on the southern portions of Mala Mala, north of the Sand River. It is suspected that all sightings were of the two approximately 2-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female. One of these young males is quite indifferent to the presence of landrovers, the other is somewhat more wary and tends to move off when approached. All indications are that these two youngsters have been abandoned by their mother and are now starting their lives of solitude and independence. As is so often the case with these naïve and confidant young males, they can provide hours of fine entertainment as they set about perfecting the art of survival. One sighting of the more confident of the young males had him wandering curiously and cautiously towards an area where three young male lions had killed an adult buffalo. At this stage of their lives these young leopards would know only too well the dangers associated with lions and although curious would almost certainly not do anything too rash.

August 2000

10 sightings of various combinations of the adult female leopard and 2 male cubs, these approximately 21 months of age, known to reside on central and eastern Charleston. There were only two sightings of the mother of these two youngsters, one whilst she was probably leading the one to a kill, the other whilst she was alone. Although not completely comfortable in the presence of game-viewing vehicles, this female leopard is slowly become more relaxed. On the night that this leopard was seen with her one son, the Chellahanga Female was seen briefly chasing another leopard, this almost certainly being the other twin. All three leopards have rather blatantly invaded the eastern parts of the territory of the Chellahanga Female, forcing her to spend less time in these areas and move westwards towards an area at least temporarily vacated by the Toulon Female. Of the two young males, the one is far braver than the other is, something often seen with twins, the one dominating the other. There were no sightings of both males together. At one of the sightings of this young male leopard, he was seen trying very hard to catch an impala. Although he crept within 20 or 30 meters of the ever-alert antelope and they at one stage moved directly towards him, the impala saw him and ran off. Impala are without doubt the most common antelope in the area and will forever tempt leopards. However, they are constantly alert and much training is usually required to outsmart them on a regular basis.

July 2000

Adult female leopard and 2 male cubs, these approximately 20 months of age: 1 sighting of the female, 1 sighting of both cubs, 5 sightings of a single cub on its own. All encounters were on central and eastern Charleston. This female has been in the area for at least two years now and has been a thorn in the side for the Chellahanga Female which is now apparently moving westwards, somewhat allowing this other female and her two sons access to areas once exclusively her domain. As the two cubs rapidly approach independence, so they will explore more freely and eventually move off. This month both were found in close proximity to the Chellahanga Female which had recently killed an impala. It is quite certain that these leopards were all aware of each other's presence but were not seen to come into physical conflict.

June 2000

Sighting of a female leopard, initially identified as the Kapen Female, on central Charleston. It is suspected that this could have been the female which for nearly two years has been residing north and east of the territory controlled by the Chellahanga Female. This leopard has two male cubs, these approximately one-and-a half years of age. These cubs were seen with her in the same area the following day and also prior to this. At these other sightings, these in the general area of central and southeastern Charleston, the cubs were seen alone, except for the one occasion when the Rock Drift Male which is almost certainly their father temporarily joined one of them. At this encounter the two leopards made no contact with each other and then went their separate ways. At another sighting, the one young male was seen with a dead monitor lizard which he had probably killed. These young leopards are fast maturing and not only will they require more and more food, but will have to start learning to find it for themselves. During those long hours when their mother is away, usually hunting, they will spend greater amounts of time amusing themselves with whatever is in the area where they happen to be waiting for the female's return. It will be small creature like the monitor lizard which will draw their attention, providing them with food if they can catch it, but, more importantly, honing their skills as hunters. One of these young males is a great deal more confidant in the presence of landrovers than is his brother and it will be interesting to see what happens with them when they eventually do move off. It will also be interesting to seen what happens in the holding of territory in this area as the Chellahanga Female ages and this other female continues to pressurise for space.

MalaMala Game Reserve, PO Box 55514, Northlands, 2116, South Africa.
Telephone: + 27 11 442 2267 or 0861 SAFARI.
Facsimile: + 27 11 442 2318
e-Mail: reservations@malamala.com; e-Mail: webmaster

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