Tragedy For The Nkoveni Female Leopard – Londolozi Blog

Over the past months, we’ve been privileged to witness the remarkable journey of the Nkoveni Female Leopard and her three cubs. It’s been a journey marked by both joy and heartache, as they navigate the challenges of survival in the wild.

One of the most difficult moments came when we noticed one of the cubs had suffered a severe jaw injury. Despite our best efforts to understand its cause, the mystery remained. th emost likely cause was from it falling/jumping out of a tree and catching its low jaw on a branch or something similar to that. Over the following weeks, this cub displayed incredible resilience, but the injury made feeding a struggle. The cubs only being about three and a half months old, the mother will still be supplementing their diet with breastmilk, helping this injured cub to stay somewhat satiated.

The cub before it broke its jaw from what we do not know.

Trying to find the best way to turn this tragic situation into a positive one proved incredibly difficult, hence the radio silence on these cubs. We know that accidents happen but to see the cub injured was heartbreaking. Watching the tender love and care of the Nkoveni Female towards this cub only amplified the sentiments that all the rangers shared. However, she continued to care for all three of her cubs and the little leopard family was seen on multiple occasions at the sight of a carcass where the two healthy cubs feasted away and continued as any leopard cub would. The injured one, kept a distance to avoid any of the playful bouts instigated by the other two.

The three of the Nkoveni female’s cubs drinking at a waterhole. You can just see the broken jaw of the one cub on the left.

About three weeks after the injury, the Nkoveni Female had made another impala kill which she hoisted into a thick jacketplum tree before going to fetch all three cubs to lead them back to their new meal.

Having led her cubs successfully to their new kill the cubs explored the tree before feeding on the branches above

The unfortunate jaw injury of the one cub which had seemed to have somewhat healed but it still had difficulty feeding on the carcass and often fed on fallen pieces below.

Coincidentally, the full complement of the Kambula Pride and two Ndzhenga Males had also secured themselves a hefty buffalo meal about 400m south of where the Nkoveni Family was.

The following morning we set off to see the Nkoveni Female and her cubs, hoping they would be in the same place as the previous afternoon. As we arrived, we saw one cub in the outer branches of the tree, but our attention was swiftly diverted to the presence of a lioness below. Moments later another lioness appeared, and we saw one of the Ndzhenga Male finishing off the remains of the impala carcass. Our hearts sank!

Where was the Nkoveni Female? Where were the other two cubs?

Anxiety filled the air as we tried to figure out what had gone down. On the opposite side of the tree, we saw the other two cubs. Thankfully all three were alive, for now! Then one of the lionesses began to climb the tree, there was a unanimous sentiment amongst us all on the vehicle to leave immediately, we did not want to see what was about to unfold. This was further reinforced when we looked up and saw the rest of the pride approaching.

Watching nature take its course can be an incredibly emotional experience. Often, we are shielded from the harsh realities faced by these animals and are seldom present to watch things unfold. Despite our hopes for the best outcome, we could only trust that the Nkoveni Female had found safety for herself and that her cubs had reached unreachable heights in the tree.

Later the lions had all returned to their buffalo carcass, opening up an opportunity for us to go back to where the Nkoveni Cubs were to see what had transpired, preparing ourselves for the worst. As we arrived on the scene, our spirits were lifted. Two cubs, shellshocked clung to the branches of the tree and the Nkoveni Female on the ground just ahead of us.

After enduring an entire pride of lions at the base of the tree this cub had fortunately found safety in the upper and outer reaches of the tree. Being much smaller it was able to climb out of reach of the lion pride beneath it

As we looped around to get a better view of the Nkoveni Female on the ground grooming, we caught sight of the third cub, lying motionless in the grass nearby. A stark reminder of the harsh reality of a mother leopard trying to raise cubs in the wild. The lioness must have managed to catch and kill this cub, not in an attempt to eat it but rather just to eliminate competition. So often we are unsure of the cause of death of a lost cub and just assume it was a hyena or something, so although there was some closure, it doesn’t make it any easier, if anything knowing what likely went down could make it harder to process.

The Nkoveni Female then called to her two cubs, prompting them to descend the tree, now with a better view of the two cubs we could see that although it was sad that she lost a cub, the positive was that it was the cub with the broken jaw. With the nature of its injury, this cub would have struggled to feed and would inevitably have not made it. So if it was any of the three cubs to have been caught, thankfully it was that one and not one of the healthy ones. Not to take anything away from how sad it is that a cub lost its life, but rather just looking for the positive side to this emotional encounter.

The Nkoveni Female then groomed her two cubs and led them away from the scene. As she was walking off she spotted an unsuspecting impala ram close by. Immediately she broke into a stalk, chased after it and caught the impala. The commotion sent the cubs scattering in different directions, seeking safety in nearby thickets. She then dragged the carcass a fair distance and stashed it under a thick bush along the Maxabene Riverbed before returning to fetch the two cubs and take them to the carcass.

At some point during the day the Nkoveni Female subsequently then returned back to collect the remains of the dead cub and carried it across before putting it down alongside the impala carcass. A behaviour that has got us all asking so many questions. Why would she bring it across? Was she still mourning the loss of the cub? Did she hope that it was still alive? If you have any ideas or theories please let us know, we would love to hear them.

Darkness then fell over Londolozi and the sad scene was left. From there we are unsure as to what then happened to the cub, in many cases, the mother will eat the remains of the cub. It is believed to be part of the mourning process, however, this is not known for sure. If the mother never ate it, then we are sure that it would have been eaten by a hyena.

Exploring their surroundings and practising their climbing skills

The following morning, she reluctantly left her two well-fed cubs and returned to the Jacketplum tree where the tragic incident occurred. Despite her relentless contact calls, there was no response from the lost cub. This leads to a thought-provoking debate on whether animals experience emotions and mourn the loss of their young—a question that remains elusive to answer definitively. As days passed, she gradually ceased her attempts to call the dead cub, focusing instead on nurturing the two remaining ones. With one male and one female cub, the odds seem more favourable for their survival. While the events were heart-wrenching, there is solace in knowing that the uninjured cubs offer hope for the Nkoveni Female to continue her maternal journey in the months to come.