Introducing the Thumbela 4:3 Female Leopard – Londolozi Blog

As we stand on the brink of a new year, I have no doubt that 2024 will bring many more special sightings and stories from the Londolozi wilderness. Amid this anticipation, a captivating chapter unfolds in the lives of one of Londolozi’s leopards.

We are thrilled to announce the transition of the Xinzele Young Female to her new title: the Thumbela 4:3 Female. This independent young leopard has been increasingly seen on her own, stepping out from the shadow of her mother.

Born into a litter of two, male cub did not survive. She is seen more and more in central Marthly and rapidly approaching full independence.

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A brief recap takes us back to late March/early April of 2022 when she, along with a sibling, entered the world. Regrettably, her sibling did not make it past May of 2022, leaving her to navigate the wild as a lone cub.

The Xinzele Female, her mother, initially chose a den site near our northern boundary, and the duo spent considerable time north of Marthly. While the Thumbela Female was very young, we rangers and trackers considered ourselves incredibly lucky to see her. As she matured, sightings became more frequent, and we hope she’ll venture further southward, and occupy the southern extent of her mother’s territory. Her father is believed to be the Flat Rock Male, and with pressure being put on him by the Senegal Bush Male from the south, he is shifting further north, making the shift south for the Thumbela Female more appealing as she draws closer to being sexually mature.

A morning I will never forget. Patience rewarded us after spotting her mother lying on these boulders. After some time, the tiny Thumbela Female gave way to her curiosity. Here she comes out of hiding to get a better look at us. Such a sighting is easily the most rare and special. This was in early May of 2022.

‘Thumbela’ is a local Shangaan word for a game that one plays with their mother. It’s almost like hide and seek, but where one hides until their mother walks past and then jumps out at her. On several occasions, including one of my favourite sightings of her, she has exhibited this behaviour. She is an incredibly playful young leopard with a wonderful nature.

Here she sits on the cool sand of the Manyelethi Riverbed. Contemplating her chances of catching one of the many vervet monkeys alarm calling at her from the treetops.

This time of year brings an abundance of young impala lambs, warthog piglets, and newly born wildebeest calves across the reserve. For a young, relatively inexperienced leopard entering the independent phase, this is a huge advantage. The timing for her could not have been more perfect.

We have seen young leopards like the Xinkhova Female charging off at high speed across open crests in an attempt to catch newly born wildebeest and impala. For the time being at least, the Thumbela Female’s hunting strategy will be no different. Patience and the art of stealth will come with age.

The Thumbela Female struts down a dirt track toward us.

For nearly two years, venturing into the beautiful Marthly at dawn in pursuit of Thumbela and her mother has been one of my favourite adventures. Now, as the two are seen less frequently together, we look forward to the prospect of another female leopard establishing territory in Marthly.

The Thumbela Female rests on a fallen Marula tree in the early morning hours.

Although we haven’t witnessed, her mother, the Xinzele Female mating again, we anticipate her to have another new litter of cubs before mid-winter next year. Given the challenging odds for leopard cubs, the success of the Xinzele Female with her second litter brings us immense joy. Stay tuned for a follow-up blog on further updates from the Xinzele lineage.