Tlebe Rocks Male

September 2002

Location: EASTERN EYREFIELD

(no sightings)

It seems likely that the Tlebe Rocks Male is dead; information from north of Mala Mala is that a large male leopard was killed by a warthog. This ties in with a lack of sightings of the Tlebe Rocks Male which used to wander onto areas north of the reserve. Perhaps not such a bad thing for him though, given that the Newington Male was already in the process of taking over his territory.

August 2002

Location: EASTERN EYREFIELD

(1 sighting)

The Tlebe Rocks Male was seen only once during August and this on what is considered the eastern periphery of his territory. It is highly likely that the Newington Male is now forcing him out.

July 2002

Location: CENTRAL-EASTERN EYREFIELD-MALA MALA BOUNDARY AREA

(2 sightings)
There were only two sightings of the Tlebe Rocks Male leopard this month and several of the Newington Male leopard 'invading' his territory. The Tlebe Rocks Male was not seen to respond to the presence of the Newington Male leopard. Is the Tlebe Rocks Male on the way out and has the Newington Male leopard detected his weakening? The next few months will prove interesting in terms of which male leopard dominates in what area. The Tlebe Rocks Male has probably been in control of the northeastern parts of the reserve for at least three years now. Although he is a mature leopard, probably slightly passed his prime (particularly when compared to the younger Newington Male) the Tlebe Rocks Male certainly still appears to be healthy and most capable.

June 2002

Location: WESTERN & CENTRAL EYREFIELD/ NORTHERN MALA MALA

(4 sightings)
Sightings of the Tlebe Rocks Male suggested that his southerly neighbour (the Newington Male) may be testing his strength and, in response, the Tlebe Rocks Male decided to push back. On at least two occasions, the Tlebe Rocks Male was found some ways west of the region considered to be his westerly border with the Newington Male. With the latter young leopard growing in self-assurance every day and moving more frequently beyond his boundaries, a defence from the 'invaded' party may be to return the action and this may have been why the Tlebe Rocks Male was seen in these parts. So with some expansionist behaviour seemingly on the cards, interesting developments may be ahead for the leopards of the northern parts of the reserve.

May 2002

Location: WESTERN EYREFIELD/ NORTHERN MALA MALA

(2 sightings)
The two sightings of the Tlebe Rocks Male this month delivered nothing extra-ordinary; he appeared to be in fine form and doing what dominant male leopards seem to do a great deal of - marking territorial boundaries.

April 2002

Location: CENTRAL EYREFIELD

(5 sightings)
The five encounters with the Tlebe Rocks Male during April delivered no excitement - he remains a strong and apparently well-in-control male leopard. One of the sightings of the Rock Drift Male was of him moving south, apparently on patrol, when he came quite close to the Styx Pride lions which were out hunting and moving in the opposite direction. The lions did not even notice the leopard and both parties went their separate ways.

March 2002

Location: CENTRAL EYREFIELD

(4 sightings)
The Tlebe Rocks Male was seen four times and at each sighting it appeared that he was out on patrol of his territory. On one occasion, a quite annoyed looking Tlebe Rocks Male was found making his way south along the Mlowathi River, bypassing a large herd of buffalo and marking territory at a furious pace. The leopard was frothing at the mouth and kept looking over his shoulder, not in fear, but rather in anger. All indications were that he and another leopard had just had a run-in. And sure enough; half-an-hour after the Tlebe Rocks Male had been located, another male leopard, this the same one which last month was seen with the Newington Male, was also found. This relaxed male leopard was also engaged in an intense display of territory marking. So no matter how settled things seem to be and how dominant a territorial creature appears, there will always be others waiting to test and pressurise and the never-ending battle to maintain the integrity of a territory continues.

February 2002

Location: NW & CENTRAL-EAST EYREFIELD

(6 sightings)
Sightings of the Tlebe Rocks Male this month were fairly tame, the most exciting perhaps being when he was found one morning with the remains of an adult female impala kill in a Marula Tree. Below him were several hyaenas which were squabbling over whatever dropped to the ground. At the time when he was feeding, one of the two-and-a-half-year-old daughters of the Ngoboswan Female was only a few hundred meters north of him, herself eyeing out a herd of impala. That afternoon, the young female leopard was still in the area, but this time south of the kill. Tracks indicated that she had run from the area and when found, she appeared decidedly uneasy. The Tlebe Rocks Male, however, was sleeping below the tree and did not look in any way concerned. Suddenly, however, monkeys started chattering a good distance to his east and the Tlebe Rocks Male sprung to his feet and headed purposefully in their direction, stopping only to scent-mark and roar, both designed to let another leopard know of his presence. Chattering monkeys are usually a sure sign of the presence of another leopard. But the Tlebe Rocks Male never reached the area of the monkeys and even when he had come closer to the area in which they had been scolding this as yet unseen leopard, the Tlebe Rocks Male had already calmed down and instead of carrying on to investigate, went for a drink of water. But whilst he was gone, a third leopard arrived at the scene of the kill, this one the Hlabatini Female. She immediately scaled the tree and bolted down the scraps, scattering fragments to the delighted hyaenas still waiting below. So perhaps the Hlabatini Female and the daughter of the Ngoboswan Female had made contact and it was this adult female leopards' presence which was causing the younger female concern. And perhaps the kill was in fact the Hlabatini Females' and the Tlebe Rocks Male had just appropriated it. The previous day both the Hlabatini Female and her cub, looking well-fed, had been seen moving from this area, perhaps after having the Tlebe Rocks Male arrive on the scene. But what leopard caused the monkeys to chatter and the Tlebe Rocks Male to rush off? Another male leopard has been frequenting the southerly portions of his territory over the last month and the following day the Rock Drift Male was found not far east of where the monkeys had been.

January 2002

Location: NORTHERN & CENTRAL EYREFIELD

(5 sightings)
The Tlebe Rocks Male continued his dominance of the northern parts of the reserve and was frequently seen patrolling his territory. One of the more interesting sightings involving this leopard saw him being followed by the 28-month-old daughter of the Ngoboswan Female. This young female leopard has been trying to establish herself to the north and east of the region occupied by her mother and at least some of this particular area would include that worked by the Tlebe Rocks Male. The Tlebe Rocks Male was simply walking away from the young female, seemingly wanting nothing to do with her. When they met up with the Hlabatini Female and her son, the two female leopards went at each other before all separated and headed off in their separate ways. But should this young female eventually establish herself in the area in which she has been trying to, what male will dominate her? Some of the territory would, as things appear to stand, include at least some of the area controlled by the Newington Male. Would the conflict between the two males for this one female force a change of their territories, or will a 'sharing' understanding come about, or would the female leopards change areas? Time should tell.

December 2001

Location: CENTRAL MALA MALA-EYREFIELD BOUNDARY/ CENTRAL & NW EYREFIELD

(6 sightings)

All sightings bar two of the Tlebe Rocks Male this month were of him out patrolling and hunting. The other two encounters were of him with an adult male impala kill, a carcass he must have fed from for several days. At one stage, and apparently unknown to the Tlebe Rocks Male, the White Cloth Female approached him whilst he was feeding on the kill. The Tlebe Rocks Male would probably not be friendly towards the White Cloth Female and when she noticed which leopard it was she was creeping up on, the White Cloth Female slowly withdrew from the area. This incidence occurred on what is regarded as being the most southerly boundary for the Tlebe Rocks Males and the most northerly for the White Cloth Female. Other than that, the month seemed quite ordinary for this large male which controls the northern parts of Mala Mala.

November 2001

Location: CENTRAL AND SOUTHWESTERN EYREFIELD

(6 sightings)
Several of the sightings of the Tlebe Rocks Male were on successive days when he was feeding off the carcass of an adult female impala which he must have killed on the same night when he was seen chasing the baby giraffe (last months report). Several hyaenas were at the base of the Scotia tree in which the carcass had been hoisted and on the last day when he was in the area, two lions, a male and female, also arrived in the area - but by this stage the Rock Drift Male had already left the area. This was not the only time this month that the Rock Drift Male attracted the attention of lions. A week or so after the afore-mentioned event, the leopard was lying on a termite mound when an adult male lion came walking along, saw the leopard and gave chase. But the leopard easily kept ahead of the lion which doggedly followed it for quite some distance. Other than the above, sightings of the Tlebe Rocks Male suggested that his days this month were spent doing the routine things which a territorial Male leopard requires to maintain his strength and the integrity of his domain.

October 2001

Location: SOUTHERN EYREFIELD/ NORTH-CENTRAL MALA MALA

(4 sightings)
Most encounters with the Tlebe Rocks Male this month were of him on territorial patrol. Towards the end of the month he seemed to have a fairly intense period of activity when he must have circled his domain within two days. Both 3-year-old sons of the Paradise Valley Female were found during this period on his south-western border and it might have been their presence which spurred him on. Then, when he was at the end of this 60-hour or so period, probably having moved steadily around his property, he was found near the middle-reaches of the Mlowathi River, looking lean but still dedicatedly scent marking. Close to the area where in May this year he was seen killing a baby zebra, the Tlebe Rocks Male halted his patrol and moved off into the bush, evidently having detected some or other scent of interest. After following whatever it was with his nose to the ground like a bird-dog, his quarry was ahead of him - a young giraffe with its mother. Although the giraffe was only a few months old, it really looked just too big for any leopard to tackle without serious risk. Still, the Tlebe Rocks Male was keen and as the giraffe moved off, he followed, actually jogging behind the animal for quite some time before both hunter and prey (the baby had become separated from the mother) were lost in thick bush. If anything, the Tlebe Rocks Male has done more than enough to prove himself a fearless animal.

September 2001

Location: EYREFIELD/ NORTH-CENTRAL MALA MALA

(8 sightings)
The Tlebe Rocks Male provided some good viewing this month and was seen on various parts of his large territory. One of the best sightings revolved around an impala kill which he had been feeding on over the course of several days on the banks of the Mlowathi River. As is so often the case, a kill frequently attracts the attentions of other animals hoping to get an easy meal and in this case it was the rather precocious three-year-old son of the Paradise Valley Female which pitched up at the scene. The young leopard watched the large male feeding for a while and then approached the tree, perhaps used to the easy way in which his father, the Rock Drift Male, has always treated him. But he was in for a shock; when the Tlebe Rocks Male saw him, there was only aggression. Although there was more noise than physical contact, but the young male leopard was left with no illusions as to what would happen to him if he didn't back off and show some respect.

August 2001

Location: EASTERN MARTHLY/ SW EYREFIELD/ NORTH-CENTRAL MALA MALA

(3 confirmed sightings)
The Tlebe Rocks Male is the name given to the large male leopard which has been seen on the reserve over the last year or so and appears to dominate the northern areas. 'Tlebe Rocks' is a granite outcrop central to this leopards' area of control and it is from this that he derives his name. This is the same leopard which killed the zebra in early May and is a territorial neighbour with the Rock Drift Male and the son of the Newington Female. Another of his adversaries may be the male leopard known to favour the killing of warthogs. The Tlebe Rocks Male and this latter leopard had a face-to-face meeting this month and the 'warthog killer' apparently emerged the victor, perhaps due to the fact that the area of the encounter was on the border between territories and not whilst one was 'invading' the other. With the decline of the old male leopard which used to control the north-western parts of Mala Mala along the Sand River, the Tlebe Rocks Male has also shown interest in at least parts of this territory and this month was seen as far away from his recognised haunts as the Manyelethi River, crossing the water-course at a spot used only days before by the son of the Newington Female, another leopard eyeing this opening land.

July 2001

There were two sightings of the large and relaxed male leopard thought to control the northern and north-eastern areas of Mala Mala, the same leopard which killed the baby zebra in May. On the first occasion when he was seen during July, he was on what appeared to be a dedicated territory patrol along the middle sections of the Matshapiri River. Judging from his fat stomach he had evidently recently eaten very well. When seen on the second occasion, he was trying to circle some impala, using a deep gully system as cover. He failed to catch one and continued on his way.

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Telephone: + 27 11 442 2267 or 0861 SAFARI.
Facsimile: + 27 11 442 2318
e-Mail: reservations@malamala.com

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