The Week In Pictures #734: The Year That Was (2025)

The calendar has once again done that neat, almost offensively quick trick of turning over, and we find ourselves squinting into the blinding light of a new year. On the surface, of course, nothing much has changed. The sun rose, the Sand River flowed, and the impala still sounded the alarm whenever a shadow moved too quickly. It’s easy to roll into the office on January 2nd and chalk it all up to the great bushveld philosophy: same sh..stuff, different day (read that how you please).

But you and I both know that’s just the humble, broad-strokes truth. We’re all the ones who get so invested—the ones who notice the new nick in a lion’s ear, the slight wobble in a leopard’s gait, or the shift in a boundary a few hundred metres east. When you zoom in past the macro cycles of seasons and rainfall, 2025 was a year of non-stop, gripping evolution that couldn’t have been scripted better by the most ambitious screenplay writers in Hollywood.

The lion dynamics alone kept us perpetually on the edge of our seats. While the greater Kambula Pride continued its inevitable fragmentation, carving out new futures for its sub-adults, the male coalitions—Ndzhenga, Plains Camp, Nkuhuma and Talamati, Kambula and the recently aggressive Gijima Males—turned the territory into a chess board of intricate strategy. Every patrol, every mating ritual, and every roar felt like a political coup waiting to happen.

And the leopards? Their dramas were quietly operatic. We watched the Nkoveni Young Male evolve from an over-eager protégé into a full-blown fan-favourite. Credit to the Nkoveni Female for her successful streak of motherhood, along with the Three Rivers Female and her gorgeous daughter. We held our breath as the Ximungwe Female demonstrated a resilience that defied her injuries. Every new litter, every stolen carcass, was a story of survival—each individual life playing out against a backdrop of breathtaking beauty and brutal reality.

We, the team here, had the absolute privilege of capturing it all, day in and day out. As we look back through the archives, selecting the photographs that best define 2025, it’s not just about the quality of the image, but the weight of the story each one carries.

Here, in our most desired and followed blog, The Week In Pictures, is a raw, powerful look back at the moments that made us gasp, reflect, and ultimately, appreciate the wild, unedited masterpiece we share with you all, no matter where you are in the world. These images have no captions, allowing you to use the image to tell whatever story you please.

Enjoy This Week In Pictures…

Dominant since 2019. Once skittish Kruger-born giant now rules vast territory, transforming from elusive presence to formidable force.

Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.

The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.

Born 2020 during lockdown to Piccadilly Female. Once skittish, now confident mother denning her first litter in Marthly’s rocky terrain.

Londolozi’s most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.

The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.

Born 2021, striking orange-eyed leopardess. Young female boldly claiming unconventional grassland territory in southwestern Londolozi.

A stunning female found in the north. Successfully raised the Thumbela Female while establishing dominance in NW Marthly.

Three of the cubs sat together and watched us with an intent curiosity as their sibling lay with the mother inside the Spikethorn thicket.

Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.

Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation’s dominant female.

The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.

Londolozi’s most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.

Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.

Raised as an intact litter, first in 7 years, who has now made her own history by raising two males to independence as an intact litter.

The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.

Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.

The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.

A confident and curious young leopard, that is nearing independence after a remarkable start to life alongside her resilient mother.

Forced into early independence at 11 months. Despite her small size, she’s proven resilient, currently raising a cub in SE Londolozi.

Londolozi’s most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.

The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.

A stunning female found in the north. Successfully raised the Thumbela Female while establishing dominance in NW Marthly.

An impressive male, appearing as a rising force in the north. Making a name for himself by pushing other males out.

Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation’s dominant female.

Dominant since 2019. Once skittish Kruger-born giant now rules vast territory, transforming from elusive presence to formidable force.

Sean Zeederberg

Source link