A Magical Sighting of the Kigelia Female Leopard’s Cubs – Londolozi Blog

A lot of attention has recently been on both the Nkoveni Female and Ximungwe Female and their cubs, and rightfully so! They have been providing some amazing game viewing and both leopards hold territories relatively close to the Londolozi camps. It’s easy to forget that there are many other female leopards on Londolozi, and other cubs too. The Kigelia Female Leopard is a lesser-known individual, rarely seen due to her territory lying in the deep southwestern parts of Londolozi. This area tends to be a focus for seeking other predators such as cheetahs and lions due to its relatively open terrain, which is sparsely populated with riverbeds and trees suitable for a leopard’s habitat. However, Kigelia has made this her home and recently gave birth to a litter of two cubs.

The Kigelia Female carries the blood of the Little Bush lineage, she was born in October of 2015, making her nine years old and in her prime. She has successfully raised two cubs to independence, the Tsatsuma Female establishing a territory south of Londolozi and a bit further east of the Kigelia Female. The other is the Jacana Female, occupying the deep southwestern grasslands to the north of her mother. When we discovered she was raising a new litter of cubs, we were thrilled!

This young leopard is not often seen on Londolozi soil, spending much of her time around the fringes of her mother’s territory to the south.

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Spotted this leopard?

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4 sightings by Members

The brother of the Tu-Tones male from the same litter, the Makhotini male has had a far more successful life.

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9 sightings by Members

The Kigelia Female was sired by the Makhotini Male, named after the prominent drainage line and waterhole at the heart of his original territory. This area is now the heart of her territory as well. It was at this very waterhole that we discovered the newest addition to this mysterious lineage. Typically, a mother leopard keeps her cubs in a secluded, densely vegetated area since they are extremely vulnerable while she hunts and marks her territory. This drainage line and surrounding thickets provided the perfect hideout in an otherwise open area, devoid of suitable den sites.

A tracker’s dream! Tracks of a male leopard on a road. Male’s tracks are bigger and generally more rounded in appearance

After finding tracks of a female leopard and two cubs on a nearby road that morning but having no success in locating them, we set out that afternoon with the goal of finding where this leopard was keeping her cubs. After scouring the vicinity of the earlier tracks and coming up empty, Trevor had the bright idea of driving alongside a nearby drainage line in the hope of locating a new den site.

We scoured around some boulders extensively but initially came up with nothing. Feeling defeated, we started heading back to the road when Trevor, from the tracker’s seat, made a remarkable spot! There they were—two little cubs playing in a small jackalberry tree. The overwhelming feeling in the vehicle upon seeing leopard cubs was nothing but pure delight. I can’t quite describe the elation we felt at finding these two cubs for the first time, especially given that I had only seen their mother, the Kigelia female, twice before.

The Kigelia female’s two cubs, nothing but cuteness!

I was grateful that I, as well as the guests in my vehicle, had lenses with large focal lengths that allowed us close-up shots of the two cubs playing in the tree without us needing to get close

We looked carefully for their mother, but she wasn’t present. She must have left them to hunt and mark her territory, ensuring no intruders enter her territory and threaten their survival. Respecting the sensitivity of the situation, we took some photos and spent a short time watching them playing around in the tree before leaving them alone to avoid attracting any unwanted attention.

One last photograph, just because!

We haven’t seen the cubs since, but evidence suggests they are still alive and in the area. The recent loss of the Ximungwe Female’s cubs serves as a stark reminder of how challenging it is for mother leopards to successfully raise their litters. We can only hope that the Kigelia Female will extend the Little Bush Lineage. I will keep you updated should we come across them again. In the meantime, enjoy this video of the two cubs playing with each other.