November 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
TOULON
(0 sightings)
There were no sightings of this female during November.
October 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
TOULON
(0 sightings)
There were no sightings of this female during October.
September 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
TOULON
(9 sightings of female alone; 7 sighting of female and son)
This magnificent female has become the main stay on Toulon in recent times and has been very prominent again this month. She was seen with several kills along the banks of the Sand River many of which also involved her son. We still don’t know much about her history but she has started her own dynasty in the south. Her latest offspring, a young male is about independent and she will be looking to mate again soon. With the Tjellahanga male gone it will be interesting to see who takes over and who this females chooses to mate with, exciting time for the leopard dynamics of Charleston.
August 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
1 MALE CUB 20 MONTHS
TOULON
(10 sightings of female alone; 1 sighting of female and cub; 7 sightings of cub alone)
It has been a great month for both of these leopards, mother seems to be pushing the son to spend more time alone and forcing him to hunt and look for food and the Rollercoaster female seems to be re-establishing her territory and covering far more ground. The sighting of the month was when she made a female bushbuck kill and then went off to call her son. She fed and then left him to finish off the kill, but did not return, leaving him to deal with re-positioning the kill in the tree, moving around in the tree and dealing with the hyeana at the base of the tree. All lessons he needs to learn when he is by himself, for his survival in the future.
July 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
1 MALE CUB 19 MONTHS
TOULON
(6 sightings of female alone; 0 sightings of female and cub; 6 sightings of cub alone)
This female has also become for more aggressive towards her cub, and although she will not do him harm at all she will provide for him less and spend long times away from him, forcing him to fend for himself and look for his own food. This has been fairly successful as he has been seen at kills of other leopards and even seen sharing a kill with the Tjellahanga male, who did not seem too bothered by the young males presence. These leopard, mother and son, are very relaxed and have provided some great viewing this month. As this young male become more confident he will be very entertaining to follow and watch as he learns how to hunt and his mother will come into cycle again and be looking to mate again soon. Interesting times ahead for both of these leopards.
June 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
1 MALE CUB 18 MONTHS
TOULON
(2 sightings of female alone; 3sightings of female and cub; 4 sightings of cub alone)
This shy young female seems to be settling in well around the river, she is still seen with her son, although he seems to be getting brave and is starting to seek independence from his mother. She probably still provides for him from time to time, but he will slowly break away as she pushes him out on his own and he is forced to look after himself. She on the other hand seems to have carved out a nice territory on the western bank and although small, with the access to the river and the concentration of animals and prey species close to the river it should be a good winter for her.
May 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
1 MALE CUB 17 MONTHS
TOULON
(6 Sightings of female alone; 3 sighting of female and cub; 5 sighting of cub alone)
The cub is doing very well and is very relaxed with vehicles even when mom is away. He is starting to be seen on his own around rocky crossing and as his independence nears expect to see him venture further away from this stronghold. She hasn’t yet been seen to mate again but like the Jakkalsdraai female it would be nice to see her give birth before the end of the year.
April 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
1 MALE CUB 16 MONTHS
TOULON
(7 Sightings of female alone; 5 sighting of female and cub; 7 sighting of cub alone)
These two leopards make up most of the leopard sightings in the south, they have been seen on kills and the young male has even been seen hunting for himself. They are very relaxed and have established themselves well in Toulon. They seem comfortable with each other but the young male is becoming more independent and starting to move away from his mother. His movements are based around the river but he is spending more and more time away or without his mother and this is a good sign that he is almost ready to start looking for his own territory.
March 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
1 MALE CUB 15 MONTHS
TOULON
(7 Sightings of female alone; 7 sighting of female and cub; 10 sighting of cub alone)
The pair have provided some of the finest leopard viewing in the south this month. The cub now bigger than his mother was a stable feature around rocky crossing with him being found there several times waiting for the return of this mother. The Rollercoaster female controls Toulon east of Skukuza road and has now started pushing north of the river. Let’s see what happens, as she inevitably will come into contact with the Jakkalsdraai female over the territory.
February 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
1 MALE CUB 14 MONTHS
TOULON
(5 Sightings of female alone; 3 sighting of female and cub; 7 sighting of cub alone)
The pair have provided some of the finest leopard viewing in the south this month. The cub now bigger than his mother was a stable feature around rocky crossing with him being found there several times waiting for the return of this mother. The Rollercoaster female controls Toulon east of Skukuza road and has now started pushing north of the river. Lets see what happens, as she inevitably will come into contact with the Jakkalsdraai female over the territory.
January 2010
ROLLERCOASTER FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE
1 MALE CUB 13 MONTHS
TOULON
(3 Sightings of female alone; 4 sighting of female and cub; 3 sighting of cub alone)
This female is starting to set up a more prominent territory for herself, which includes a major section along the Sand River around Rocky Crossing. She is also a very successful hunter and has been seen and a few occasions leading her son back to a kill that she had made in the evening and then reed to secure for her cub. Her son also seems to becoming a little more adventurous and has been seen moving around and covering territory without his mother, which is also a good sign and shows that independence will be on his mind shortly. Lets hope that these two leopards continue to prosper and soon we might have another independent son in the area.
