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One cannot deny the value that the young Shingi Male has provided us with over the past two years in terms of some incredible sightings. Although sightings of him and his mother have become less frequent, he still roams safely within her territory.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
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18 sightings by Members
Londolozi’s most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
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Spotted this leopard?
You’ve seen this leopard
107 sightings by Members
Young leopards are often agile, enthusiastic and playful, frequently running to climb trees and termite mounds as they navigate their environment, and the Shingi Male is no exception.
The enthusiastic change of direction as the Shingi Male quickly climbed this marula tree
One afternoon, after unsuccessfully trying to find his mother, the Nkoveni Female, another vehicle found the Shingi Male not too far away, lying in a marula tree. My guests and I had been hoping throughout their stay to capture a sighting of a leopard in a tree, and this seemed like it might be our moment.
Unfortunately, it was not. As we made our way there, we could see him resting in the tree from a distance, but just as we came into full view, he descended into the long grass below. A minor moment of disappointment as the sun began to set, we realised we had missed the opportunity.
We continued to follow him as the sky shifted from yellow and orange hues to soft pinks and blues. Suddenly, he ran off, stopped abruptly, and leapt into the long grass. Two Harlequin Quails (small ground birds) flushed as he pounced in their direction. It seemed that his rest in the tree had given him renewed energy, as he continued to hunt several of these birds—unsuccessfully, but very entertaining to watch.
With the grasses being lush and long this time of year, the leopards can stalk effectively by getting down low.
As the light continued to fade, he walked through the clearings ahead of us. A fallen marula tree in the distance appeared to guide his path, and with the long grass surrounding him, we looped ahead and waited. Soon, we were delighted as he came bounding onto the fallen marula tree.
He climbed way up to the upper parts of this fallen Marula and appeared to have picked up the scent of something.
As we watched him, something incredible was brewing behind us, and with that we spun around, and to be honest, I could not quite believe my eyes…
It looks almost too good to be true, but with all the moisture and clouds around this time of year and the glimmers of the fading sun, this is a sighting I will always remember.
He then rubbed his face on the end of the branch before turning back and climbing back down.
Combing his whiskers on the branch beneath him, he then spun around and climbed down the marula tree.
He walked through the long grass once more before settling on a termite mound, scanning the nearby herd of impala as the last of the sun set faded behind him. We left him here and journeyed home with an exceptionally memorable moment that we were fortunate enough to share together.
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Kirst Joscelyne
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