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December 2003
ROCK DRIFT MALE Location:
W MALA MALA/ WESTERN FLOCKFIELD/ CENTRAL & SOUTHERN CHARLESTON Sightings of the Rock Drift Male suggested that he spent much of the month towards the northwestern parts of his territory and beyond, exploring part of the land which up until now has been controlled by the Short Tail Male. With the Short Tail Male losing power and with some of 'his' females such as the Dudley and Ngoboswan Females having mated with the Rock Drift Male, it makes some sense that the Rock Drift Male seeks to expand his influence in order that they are incorporated into his patrol area.
Should the Rock Drift Male move more north and west, what would happen to the southern parts of his territory? His daughter, the Jakkalsdraai Female, occupies a fair chunk of this and he has no interests in mating with her, so what value does this land have for him? Already she has mated with the Hlarulini Male, the leopard which controls the territory to the south and west of that occupied by the Rock Drift Male and already this male is pushing north, perhaps hoping to expand his domain to include the Jakkalsdraai Female into his patrol pattern. So maybe things are about to change with the Rock Drift Male giving up land which will give him no mating rewards to take over other which will. There were a good couple of days of viewing of the Rock Drift Male this month when he and some hyaenas fed from the carcass of a buffalo bull which had died near the junction of the Matshapiri and Sand Rivers. The hyaenas triumphed, but not before the Rock Drift Male had a good feed. Whilst this was happening, the Dudley Female arrived, but looked wary and moved off, perhaps not quite sure, on this border area, of what leopard was around. November 2003ROCK DRIFT MALE Location:
W MALA MALA/ WESTERN FLOCKFIELD/ CENTRAL & SOUTHERN CHARLESTON The Rock Drift Male had a busy month, not only interacting with some of the females under his influence, but also patrolling the limits of his huge territory and seeking to expand his range too. At the beginning of this report-period, the Rock Drift Male was discovered with three other leopards, all females and these being the Kapen and Dudley Females and the two-year-old daughter of the Kapen Female (the Rock Drift Males' daughter as well). The Kapen Female had killed an impala the previous evening and this had obviously attracted the attentions of at least some of the other leopards which had arrived to scavenge. For the Dudley Female, however, she appeared to have sought out the Rock Drift Male for mating purposes and was less interested in eating. Although there was no physical conflict witnessed amongst the leopards at this gathering, the tension was certainly simmering just beneath the surface.
The Rock Drift Male and Dudley Female stayed together and were last seen in one another's company six days later when they were sharing another impala carcass, not far from where they had originally been found. On this occasion, which must have marked the end of the mating as well, another female leopard approached the pair and sniffed around the area, climbed the tree in which the scraps of the impala were still hanging and investigated further. The leopard didn't seek to feed on what was left, but seemed more interested in finding out details of what other leopards were around. Neither the Rock Drift Male nor the Dudley Female challenged this third leopard which could very well have been the Jakkalsdraai Female, a leopard not unexpected in this particular location. The Rock Drift Male and Jakkalsdraai Female were seen together 10 days later when the male leopard arrived to scavenge from the remains of an impala carcass which the Jakkalsdraai Female had been feeding from for a few days. Little remained of the kill and the Jakkalsdraai Female didn't seem to concerned about the theft - not that she could have done much against the bigger male leopard. Another Rock Drift Male/ female leopard interaction occurred near the lower reaches of the Chellahanga River, when the Rock Drift Male, whilst out hunting and patrolling, bumped into an unidentified female. The two leopards appeared to know one another and the Rock Drift Male, after approaching the female, simply continued on his way. The female leopard is thought to be one of somewhat nervous disposition which occupies the territory to the east of the Jakkalsdraai Female and northeast of the Toulon Female. This area has been included in the Rock Drift Males' territorial patrols for several years now. As far as territory goes, not only was the Rock Drift Male active this month in maintaining his known territorial limits, but also made a major effort to involve himself to the north and west of his existing territory, moving deep into the area which for some years now has been controlled by one of his long-term territorial neighbours and adversaries, the Short Tail Male. The Short Tail Male is clearly ailing and the Rock Drift Male (and other male leopards) have been exploiting this by making their presence felt in this area, hoping no doubt to claim at least some of the land and whatever females come with it when it finally becomes vacant. The part explored by the Rock Drift Male is patrolled at least in part by the Ngoboswan Female. And, since the Rock Drift Male mated with the Ngoboswan Female a couple of months ago, it would probably be to both leopards' interests if the Rock Drift Male could cement his influence in this particular area. October 2003ROCK DRIFT MALE Location:
SW MALA MALA/ WESTERN FLOCKFIELD/ CENTRAL & SOUTHERN CHARLESTON
There were several sightings of the Rock Drift Male on the western bank of the Sand River, on NW Flockfield, territory of the Short Tail Male. The Rock Drift Male was then also seen moving far north, up to a kilometre upstream of the bridge, deep into the Short Tail Males' domain, marking territory as he went. The Rock Drift Male and Short Tail Male have been adversaries for years and their respective powers have ebbed and waned, but generally things seem to have remained reasonably static. However, now that the Rock Drift Male is mating with female leopards usually under the control of the Short Tail Male (Ngoboswan and Dudley Females) and the Short Tail Male is showing signs of having been beaten up, probably in a fight with another leopard, maybe he is weakening faster than is expected and other male leopards, the Rock Drift Male being one of them, are moving in to take the spoils.   
Other than the above, the Rock Drift Male continued life as a dominant territorial leopard should do - patrolling regularly and killing the needed amount of prey to sustain this lifestyle. September 2003ROCK DRIFT MALE Location: CENTRAL & SOUTHERN MALA MALA/ FLOCKFIELD/ CENTRAL & SOUTHERN CHARLESTON (13
sightings) The mating with the Ngoboswan Female was slightly more interesting since she is not really within the 'stable' of females with which he regularly makes contact. In fact, the Ngoboswan Female falls under the control of the Short Tail Male, a long-term Rock Drift Male adversary, and, although the Ngoboswan Female was seen mating with the Short Tail Male two weeks earlier, she then sought out the Rock Drift Male, moving beyond her borders as well as those patrolled by the Short Tail Male, to find him and mate with him. The two were together for perhaps three days.
But perhaps one of the most peculiar and saddest sightings involving the Rock Drift Male had to do with the death of one of his sons, the cub of the Dudley Female. The exact circumstances surrounding the cubs' death will never be completely understood, but indications are that the Rock Drift Male himself killed the young leopard. When the leopards were first found, the Rock Drift Male and the Dudley Female were in the vicinity of an impala carcass which had been hoisted into a Sausage Tree and it was simply assumed that there would be, with the necessary diplomacy, a sharing of the kill. After all, this has been witnessed many times and the Rock Drift Male has almost become synonymous with concept of an ideal leopard father, one which quite willingly shares food with 'his' females and offspring. But this was not the case. When the Dudley Female climbed the tree to feed after the Rock Drift Male had descended, he could hardly have been more aggressive and chased her off, forcing her to climb to the very top branches of the tree whilst he stood guard over the kill, growling threateningly at her. And then, twenty or so metres from the tree, in tall grass, movement drew attention to the Dudley Females' cub. The young leopard was lying nearby, barely alive, with two puncture wounds in his head, these injuries consistent with those one would expect from a savage bite delivered by a powerful predator. The next morning the Rock Drift Male was still in the immediate area of the impala carcass, treating it as he would any other kill. A couple of hundred meters away, however, the carcass of the Dudley Female's cub had been taken into a large Jackalberry Tree and had been partly fed upon. Over the next two or three days, the Dudley Female was seen to return and feed from her son until she had eaten it completely. One wonders just what led to the death of the cub; all evidence suggests that the Rock Drift Male killed it. But why? That he is the father of the cub is almost without doubt; he and the Dudley Female were seen mating in August last year and a cub was produced after the expected pregnancy following such a mating. And the two have certainly met up before; there has been at least one sighting where the Rock Drift Male, the Dudley Female and her cub have all been seen together and seemingly content. One thing, though, is that although the Rock Drift Male did mate with the Dudley Female, she does not reside within his domain. She sought him out, much as the Ngoboswan Female and other female leopards have done in the past, leaving their territories to find a mate. It is not known just which male leopards' territory encompasses that occupied by the Dudley Female, but it could well be the Short Tail Male, a leopard, which, it seems, is perhaps sterile and although physically very powerful, is incapable of satisfying 'his' females' basic needs. So, to have a cub, they have to find a suitable partner, but only for mating, and then they need to run the risk of becoming 'alien' to that male if they do not reside within his territory. Should he suddenly forget which leopards they are, simply because there is not enough contact with them since they live beyond his regularly patrolled borders, he will treat them as he does any other foreigner and, similarly, he will treat their cubs as another males' cubs, animals which could compete with his genetics. It seems that the basic secret to survival for female leopards and their cubs is to have a territorial 'master'. They need to be familiar with this particular animal, go through the required processes of establishing credentials so that he is satisfied that they are under his control. And then, if they have his cubs or cubs of another, is not important since he cannot really tell whether they are his or not. But associating with the territorial male, regularly and with the necessary code of conduct, is a most necessary requirement for the female leopard to ensure her survival and that of her cubs. August 2003ROCK DRIFT MALE Location: STH-CENTRAL EYREFIELD/ MALA MALA/ FLOCKFIELD/ CHARLESTON/ N TOULON (north & east of river) (13
sightings)
Then, less than a week later, he was once more in another leopards' territory, this time that of the Newington Males and sniffing around a granite Koppie where his one-time-mate, the White Cloth Female, had recently been hiding her cubs. Although the Rock Drift Male did not father these cubs (or at least as far as evidence suggests) he still made soft cub-calling noises as he moved amongst the rocks, sniffing intently. Perhaps he had picked up the White Cloth Females' scent earlier, inside his territory (she still occasionally heads down to drink in the Sand River on SW Mala Mala or NW Flockfield, areas patrolled by the Rock Drift Male) and had then followed, just to check up on an old acquaintance. Goodness knows what he would have done had he found the cubs, perhaps nothing since the White Cloth Female cannot really be regarded as a 'foreign' leopard to him. But male leopards have a reputation of killing those youngsters which they did not sire, so probably it was a good thing that the cubs were no longer in the area.After this the month's activities of patrolling and killing seemed more routine for the Rock Drift Male. The one other incident, which was more extraordinary, occurred when he suddenly appeared when the Jakkalsdraai Female, his nearly four-year-old daughter, was hunting impalas on central Flockfield. The interaction was anything but friendly and the female leopard ran when she saw the male. July 2003ROCK DRIFT MALE Location: FLOCKFIELD/ CHARLESTON (east of Sand River) (8 sightings)
The site of the clash was on western Charleston, to the east of the Sand River and perhaps at the very southwest of the Rock Drift Males' vast range. And it was near this exact spot where the first sighting of the Rock Drift Male over this report-period occurred; the leopard was seen stalking and killing a duiker and then taking the small antelope into a tree. Twenty-four hours later, when a still well-fed Rock Drift Male was leaving the area and making his way northwards, he killed an adult female Nyala when he surprised a group of these bush-wise antelopes as they were moving towards some inland feeding area, away from riverine bush. This was as opportunistic as a leopard can get and once the carcass had been taken into a Saffron Tree, the leopard ate at his leisure, leaving the area only when he finished two days later. Other than that all else appeared to go well for the Rock Drift Male, at least as indicated by his general body condition and the regularity with which sightings suggested he patrolled the far reaches of his domain. June 2003ROCK DRIFT MALE Location: SOUTHERN MALA MALA/ FLOCKFIELD/ CHARLESTON (east of Sand River) (8 sightings)   
Later on in the month, the Rock Drift Male helped himself to an impala kill made by one of his daughters, the Jakkalsdraai Female. Although there were generally unfriendly undertones between these two leopards, they both ate from the kill. Not far from where this took place and towards the end of the month, another female leopard lost some of a steenbok kill to the Rock Drift Male. The leopard was a nervous female, probably the one which has a territory to the east of the Jakkalsdraai Female and was feeding on the kill when the Rock Drift Male came along and took over. When this happened, the female leopard initially fled, but then returned and watched as the male devoured the carcass. At another sighting, the Rock Drift Male was found eating a baby buffalo to the west of the Sand River, opposite the confluence of the Matshapiri and Sand Rivers on western Flockfield. This area is considered to be under the control of the old male leopard with the shortish tail, but with this particular leopard showing signs of declining strength and no doubt having been tempted by the buffaloes, the Rock Drift Male was prepared to trespass. May 2003Location: CENTRAL & S MALA MALA/ FLOCKFIELD/ N CHARLESTON (5
sightings)
Towards the end of May, the Rock Drift Male was found walking downstream, parallel with the lower parts of the Chellahanga River, this the southern-most part of his range, when he fortuitously surprised a duiker, killing the small antelope and then, before several hyenas, which seemed to appear out of nowhere, could wrest the kill from him, he hauled it up a tree where he could feed on it relatively undisturbed.
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The
Rock Drift Male had another eventful month, patrolling his territory,
mating, and even looking to expand his reach further north and west.
Near the beginning of the month, the Rock Drift Male and Dudley Female
were seen moving northwards, the female following the male. And although
no mating was actually witnessed, all behaviour indicated that it was
imminent. What a turn-about of events; last month the Rock Drift Male
was probably the killer of the Dudley Females' 10-month-old male cub (his
cub too), and now she seeks him out to father her next litter - clinical
body behaviour in the extreme.
The
Rock Drift Male soldiered on and apparently ended the month looking as
strong as ever. The last sighting of this leopard was towards the end
of the July-report-period when he was seen clashing with another male
leopard. The sounds of the two leopards fighting were heard long before
they were found and when the two were eventually located, the other male
leopard was running away. Whether he was running from the Rock Drift
Male or the approaching vehicles is not certain, but all indications were
that the Rock Drift Male won the encounter. Unfortunately the identity
of the other male leopard was never established and it could have been
one of several known to the general area or even one simply passing through,
a nomad hoping to find a territorial opportunity.
The
first sighting of the month found the Rock Drift Male close to the northern
limits of his range, near the Matshapiri River, lying in a sheltered gully
system. That evening, an hour or so after he had set out hunting, he
bumped into one of his long-time mates, the Kapen Female, also out hunting,
but travelling in the opposite direction. The two leopards sniffed at
one another, the male roared twice and both went their separate ways.
With the Kapen Females current daughter fast approaching the time when
it is expected that her mother will chase her off, the Rock Drift Male
is almost certainly realising that she could come into season again any
time soon. And with the number of seemingly adult yet nomadic male leopards
wandering around, he will have to be vigilant to make sure that he is
the only one around when this happens.
April
2003
