The Mashaba Female and the Nweti Male – Londolozi Blog

Encountering the Mashaba Female Leopard always comes with a hint of luck. Recently, her movements have grown unpredictable, making any sightings of her rare treasures as she roams the southern regions of the reserve. Being the oldest leopard we see on Londolozi, she is no longer territorial and has a tendency to pop up at random times in obscure places.

The Mashaba female is currently Londolozi’s best-known leopard. Her relaxed nature means she is comfortable around the vehicles.

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The Nweti Male occupies an enormous territory that spans far beyond our southern boundary, the portion of his territory that does cover Londolozi is dominated by numerous combretum thickets to the east and the open grasslands. The challenge of spotting these majestic creatures among the high grasses heightens the thrill of the hunt, making each glimpse a rewarding spectacle.

The Nweti Male lays beneath a large Natal Mahogany in the lush green grass as he gazes up at the tree above.

He is a large, tall, and long male that has an incredible coat and a tuft of hair on his neck

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An Unexpected Encounter

On a recent game drive, you can imagine our surprise when Ranger Kate Arthur and her guests stumbled upon the Mashaba Female perched in a marula tree with an impala kill, and the Nweti Male camouflaged in the long grass beneath her. Observing these two leopards together was spectacular.

With a cloudy sky and little canopy from the marula, this made for a perfect high-key photograph with her leg hanging below.

As the scene unfolded, the cloud-dappled sky provided a perfect backdrop for high-key photography, capturing the elegance of the Mashaba Female with her leg dangling from the branch. A hyena arrived on the scene hoping to find some scraps of the carcass having dropped from the tree above. In the distance, a lone elephant bull was seen feeding on Red Bushwillows, oblivious to the drama unfolding nearby. The presence of the leopards went unnoticed until the elephant came too close for comfort.

A lone elephant bull still unaware of the leopards in the distance feeding on the Red Bushwilllows as the hyena searches for scraps below.

The tension escalated when the elephant, now well within the fold, yet still unaware of the leopards’ presence, ambled closer. The hyena made a speedy getaway. The Mashaba Female with nowhere to go, just remained as still as can be in the marula tree. The elephant suddenly disturbed by the Nweti Male’s presence in the long grass beneath a fallen marula, shook his head vigorously, issuing a stern trumpet as a warning.

Quick to his feet, the Nweti Male readied himself for a hasty retreat should it be necessary.

The low head of the Nweti male as he carefully watches the elephant bull move off.

As the elephant bull meandered away, peace returned, and both leopards settled down—the Nweti Male under a tree nearby and the Mashaba Female high above in the marula tree. It was unclear to us which of the two leopards had made the kill, but both appeared well-fed and content.

Just as the elephant bull moved off I couldn’t help but hope for this elephant bull to frame the foreground of the Nweti Male in the background.

The most likely sequence of events was that the Mashaba Female had made the kill, and hoisted it into the marula tree. While she was there, the Nweti Male would have probably stumbled across them while on a territorial patrol and joined her. Either way, they appeared to have shared the carcass and were comfortable with each other’s company.

Digesting his meal in the shade of a Red Bushwillow

We left the two leopards resting and digesting their meal as we headed back to camp for breakfast, the hyena lurking in the shadows, in the hopes of cashing in on a free meal.