With the start of 2016 there has been quite a bit happening with the Leopards at Leopard Hills.
New Female Leopard
There is a new face within our traversing area, she is a young female leopard of a couple of years old, as soon as we have some more information on her we will be sure to update you.
Boulders Female
Boulders female has also been seen with two young Cubs of about 4 weeks old, hopefully they will grow up to be wonderful leopards with many special sightings.
Boulders Female by Hugo Breed
Thlangisa Female
Thlangisa female has given birth to another litter consisting of 3 tiny cubs, they are now about 8-10weeks old and doing very well. We look forward to following them and update you on how they are doing.
As guides we often get the question if we don’t get bored with going on game drive pretty much every day of our lives. The answer is no, we don’t. Even though we see the a lot of the same animals on a regular basis, we see them doing something different, get to witness different behaviour and interactions between different species. We also see them grow up and develop their own personalities.
But yesterday was one of those mornings I will not easily forget. It started out slow, we spent some time at a Hyena den and watched the adults interact with each other. We patiently waited at the entrance to the den, to be rewarded with a very young Hyena pup showing itself to us.
After this we headed for a relaxing coffee and muffin break with some Hippos.
We then set of again on the lookout for more animals before returning to the lodge. Suddenly one of the guests spots a puff of dust behind us. We started to reverse to investigate and we realized it was a Leopard(Torchwood) that had just caught a Warthog. We rushed over and positioned ourselves to watch nature at its rawest unfold in front of us. While Torchwood was still strangling this Warthog a Hyena came out of nowhere and approached him from behind. Torchwood didn’t flinch and just kept his grip on the Warthog’s throat.
The Hyena saw its opportunity and started to bite into the Warthog. This continued for a while, with the Warthog still trying to escape and the Hyena feeding on its hind quarters. Eventually Torchwood managed to suffocate the Warthog and then proceeded to slap the Hyena and try and chase it away. A tug of war ensued between the two.
Eventually the Hyena ripped a leg off of the Warthog and moved off to the side, while Torchwood, who was now exhausted, started to feed as well. He then started looking for a tree to hoist the kill and dragged the carcass all the way through a drainage line and up a Tamboti tree.
None of us could really believe that we were so fortunate to witness this.
So the answer remains no, we do not get bored. There will always be something exciting happening. Especially at Leopard Hills.
I am very pleased to announce and introduce to you, the new look and feel of Leopard Hills.
Following the re-vamp we conducted on all the Suites over the last couple of years, we took the decision at the beginning of this year to carry on the new look and theme through to the Library, Curio Shop, Reception and dining room bar areas.
I sincerely hope you like it as much as we do!!
We look forward to welcoming you back and showing you around.
The first quarter of 2015 has gone by in a flash and we can’t believe autumn is already looming around the corner. Leaves on trees have already begun to change to a beautiful orange, red and yellow colour. In the Western Sector we are waiting in anticipation to see if we will get some very much needed rains before winter takes over. Sightings of the first three months have truly been first-rate in all aspects.
Starting with the Lions, we have a look at the mighty Majingilane coalition. These four brothers have surely shown us they are a force to be reckoned with by occupying such a big territory in the Sabi Sands. Over the three months at least one or two of them spent most of their time in our Sector. They were seen mating with both the Othawa and Ximhungwe females, and also spending time with the Othawas on a couple of kills as well as over taking a kill from the Ximhungwes.
The Othawa pride has been moving quite a bit with them being split up from each other for a while. One of the females spent a lot of time mating with some of the Majingilane males while one of the other females disappeared to give birth to three beautiful cubs. She has since introduced the cubs to the rest of the pride, their fathers and to us. They have already provided us with some special times, and we look forward to seeing them grow into magnificent Lions. The two surviving sub-adults have been wandering around by themselves, with the female joining up with the rest of pride over the last couple of days. The future of the young male is still unknown.
The Ximhungwe pride has been their usual selves and has been traveling a lot, and even moving distances during the midday heat. The two females have been alternating between mating with the males. The youngsters have still not been seen together with the coalition.
We have also been lucky enough to spend some time with the Manghene pride, fourteen Lions in total, from the east. We had the privilege to watch them hunting and even being chased around by a big herd of Buffalo. They did manage to kill a Buffalo, which provided us with some more incredible viewing.
On the Leopard front Dayone has come back in full force, regaining all of his territory, and in the process pushing Nyeleti back East. He provided us with outstanding sightings of him stalking prey, patrolling his territory and mating with the Dam3 female.
Kashane also came into the West a couple of times, but not staying for a long time before he returned to the majority of his territory in the East.
With Dayone pushing Nyeleti out of his territory, we have had very few sightings of him over this period.
Both Torchwood and Ravenscourt are still nomadic as they roam over parts of the WesternSector, trying to avoid the big boys. In a year or two they are going to become forces to be reckoned with.
We also had a visit from the old CampPan male from further East. It seems that he had been in a big fight and possibly been pushed out of his territory by another male.
HlabaNkunzi still spends most of her time in the East. We were however fortunate enough to see her newest cub a couple of times. We estimate it at about three to four months old. Hopefully she will spend some more time on our side.
Thlangisa up in the North have started to move a lot more with her two beautiful daughters, who are now almost a year old. She is still providing for them as any good mother should. It is coming close to the point where they will start to make their own kills and then start moving away from mom to establish their own kingdom.
Xikavi wasn’t seen a lot this time around, and when she was seen it was in very thick vegetation.
The very elusive Dam3 female was found a couple of times mating with Dayone.
The young Scotia always provides us with impressive sightings, be it where she is up a tree or stalking some Buffalo, to hiding from Buffalo until they almost step on her, it is always a treat to spend time with her.
Tasselberry also has a cub which is now around five months old. They are also not seen very often.
Sightings of the elegant male Cheetah have been spectacular with some good interaction between him and some Hyena on occasion, and him always giving us a show by either going up a termite mound or a fallen over tree to pose for the guests.
The WildDogs have been very scarce in this first quarter. We hope to see more of them in the upcoming months.
Hyena sightings have really been first class. Over the last couple of months we discovered two den sites, with a couple of youngsters. At one of the dens we have seen two Hyenapups that cannot be older than two weeks as they are completely black.
The Elephants are always a winner when it comes to the guests, especially the little babies. The rest of the bush has also been alive with activity from all the species providing us with superior game viewing opportunities.
Birding in the WesternSector is a treat as they are always around and busy doing something. Even when we can’t see them, we can at least hear there beautiful calls.
Video compilation for the first quarter. [KGVID width=”320″ height=”240″]https://www.leopardhills.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Firstquartercomp1.flv[/KGVID]
With this first quarter at an end we once again look forward to what the bush has to offer us and our very special guests. Written and compiled by Hugo Breed and Johan de la Rey
With the rolling thunder building on the horizon there is excitement in the bush.
It is hot and humid during the day with dust covering nearly everything. But there is a certain restlessness brewing in the bush as the clouds start to build and you can hear the distant thunder rolling closer, suddenly a flash of lightning and then that distinct smell of freshness as the first drops start washing the dust away….
We had a good start to the rain season that got the bush to burst out of its seams with all the different shades of green. With the abundance of food it is also the time for all the baby’s to be born which in turn is also the time of easy food for all the predators, this is why in only a few days all the baby impala are born so that by pure numbers it will ensure that enough of the new generation will survive to take the place of the old and the weak.
With the Lions we had an interesting time over the last couple of months, the Majingelane males are for sure here to stay and started to assert their dominance over both the Othawa and Ximhungwe prides. We had some amazing sighting of the four brothers ranging from buffalo kills to mating and also the full burst of all four roaring at top volume.
With the Ximhungwe pride this year we have had some highs and lows with one of the adult females being found dead. The remaining two adult females are still cautious of the Majingelane males trying to avoid them to ensure the survival of the four remaining cubs, but we have seen the adult females mating with the males, so let’s hope the new generation of Ximhungwe cubs will be born shortly.
The Othawa pride had real bad luck and out of the eight original cubs there is now only two left one sub adult male and one sub adult female. The three adult female spent a lot of time with the Majingelane male both mating and just relaxing.
With the Leopards all is going extremely well especially with Thlangisa’s two female cubs now almost eight months old and rapidly turning into beautiful little princesses of the spotted kingdom.
Dayone seems to be back in full strength, although he still has a bit of a limp but that does not seem to bother him at all as he has been hunting normally and also marking territory and being very vocal.
We did not see Kashane a lot this time but for a male in his prime he does not have a lot to worry about so when we see him, this proud cat always gives us a sighting to remember.
The Nyeleti male was pushed back a bit to his old territory further to the East with Dayone being back in full force.
The Ravenscourt male was seen a lot in the south with the one sighting of him and the Torchwood male together. Let’s hope this beautiful young male can make a claim on the vacant area in the south so we can keep on seeing him.
The Boulders female seems to be a lot more relaxed lately and she gave us chance to get close to her and enjoy a good sighting.
Xikavi was seen with three cubs once, but this elusive mom has not shown us them since but at least we can still see suckle marks.
The elusive Tassleberry female, that we rarely see, gave us a pleasant surprise by showing us a very young but shy cub. We don’t see her a lot but let’s hope she can raise this one to adulthood.
The young Torchwood male is doing well for himself by being nomadic at the moment he is staying alive till he is strong enough to make a claim on a territory so we can keep on seeing the beautiful male.
Scotia seems to have claimed a bit of the central area for herself and she is doing well.
Hlaba Nkunzi is doing very well and is still visiting Leopard Hills on regular basis, and we can now say that it looks like she does have cubs again but as rumor has it they are in the East again.
We also had one sighting of the Hukumuri or Blue Eyed female in the North.
We did not see the pack of Wild dogs that often but they are now sixteen in total and when we see them they always provide us with some really good sightings.
There has also been a couple of Side Striped Jackals around, providing us with some special sightings of their puppies playing around.
The biggest surprise for us was having the amount of Cheetah sightings that we had over the last few months almost becoming a weekly sighting at least.
We are really blessed with the amount of Hyena sightings we are getting. Sitting at any Leopard kill you know there will be at least one Hyena in the area to keep them on their toes.
The general game sightings have been phenomenal as usual with lots of baby’s around ranging from baby impala to baby Elephant and all in between.
With Summer being in full swing most of the migratory birds are here, making for beautiful aerial displays and chirping in the mornings to wake you up.
This year has been one amazing year with lots of surprises and once in a lifetime sightings. We cannot wait to see what 2015 has in store for us. Lastly we from the Leopard Hills Family would like to wish you happy New Year.
Written and compiled by Johan de la Rey, Reece Verdoorn and Hugo Breed.
Yesterday afternoon as guests were on their way up for Tea, before heading out on the Afternoon Safari – Hlaba Nkunzi walked by the library on her way to the main pool, scent marking every prominent bush and tree. After spending time drinking from the pool, she made her way to the pathway of Suite 8 and continued on her territorial patrol.
This morning we were joined by Dayone Male and Xikhavi Female as they moved through the lodge and on to the deck of Suite 5.
Always a privilege to view these animals as they comfortably move through the lodge.
Over the last couple of days Hlaba Nkunzi has been seen spending time close to the Lodge. It also seems that she might have fresh suckle marks. We are all very excited and hoping that she might have a den site close to the camp.
Hopefully she decided to have this new litter in her old familiar stomping grounds…
Keep an eye on the Facebook page and Blog for further updates.
Yet another two months have passed in a flash, and what an amazing two months it has been. Filled with spectacular game viewing, astonishing animal behaviour and interaction. And that might just be one of the reasons why people return to the African bush…you never know what you might see next!
Dayone started to be his old self again by patrolling the whole extent of his territory. Unfortunately, late in September he was seen limping very badly again. Hopefully he can bounce back as he did before.
Kashane was again only seen a couple of times before he returned to the East.
Nyeleti have provided us with some great sightings. He seems to be taking more of his kills up a tree. He is once again in top shape and has recovered from all previous injuries. He was also mating with Hlaba Nkunzi for a couple of days.
Over these two months there have been very few sightings of Torchwood. He has been keeping a low profile and also possibly having a look at some other territories outside of the West.
Ravenscourt have been spending more time in the Western Sector. After his mother was killed he turned into a beautiful young male Leopard.
Hlaba Nkunzi have been moving around quite a lot and sightings have been scattered. She did however walk straight through the camp and reception on a couple of occasions, barely giving any notice to the guests standing in reception and watching in awe as such a beautiful animal saunters by.
Scotia started off in August by stealing a Waterbuck kill from a Cheetah. She had made her own Duiker kill close by and heard the Cheetah making its kill. Being the opportunistic animals that they are Scotia took a chance and managed to chase the Cheetah away. She seems to be doing extremely well.
Thlangisa and the two cubs are also in tip top shape. The two youngsters are growing day by day and becoming more and more playful. Thlangisa is still providing food on a regular basis, making sure the cubs stay safe and healthy.
Xikavi seems to be pregnant yet again. With the amount of times that she was mating with Nyeleti, we assume that he must be the father. Hopefully this time around her full motherly instincts will kick in and will she be able to raise the cubs to independence.
The Dam 3 female have been her elusive self, and only seen once or twice on rare occasion. She was found on an Impala kill and also once trying to get the affection of Dayone.
The Majingilane males have continued their hostile takeover of the West. Chasing down the females in both prides. They have continued their mating with the Othawa females, and also seem to have mated with one of the Ximhungwe females.
The Othawa pride has managed to keep the two remaining sub adults alive. There have also been reports of one of the sub adults being in the presence of one of the Majingilane males without any aggression. The two sub adults have managed to kill their own Warthog without any assistance from the adults.
The Ximhungwes have kept the Majingilane at bay once again. Two of the males managed to track them down, but the somehow escaped their onslaught and one of the females led them away and mated with the one male. There are still five sub adults alive and well.
Cheetah sightings are becoming a regular thing in the West. We have been lucky to see a couple of individuals over the last two months.
The Hyenas have been very active in the West. Most of the nights you can hear their distinct calls surrounding the camp.
The Wild Dogs decided to make their return to the West. They have brought their new litter of puppies for us to see. These painted wolves are always a special treat for rangers and guests alike.
Some of the migratory birds have already made their return back for Summer. The Wahlbergs Eagles are already in their nests from the previous years and we can hear the call of the Red Chested Cuckoos. We are still awaiting the beautiful call of the Woodland Kingfisher to wake us up in the mornings.
BateleurLittle GrebeJuvenile Marshall EagleEgyptian GeeseLilac Breasted RollerSaddle Bill Stork with JuvenilesAfrican Harrier HawkJuvenile Marshall EagleWhite Backed VulturePied KingfisherOstrichGrey HeronGreen Back HeronRed billed OxpeckerFish EagleWahlberg’s EagleRed headed WeaverGrey go-away BirdSaddle bill StorkHadeda IbisGoliath Heron attacking Juvenile Saddle bill StorksLilac breasted Roller
General game sightings never disappoint. With rare sightings of Civet and Serval mixed in with massive herds of Buffalo and Elephant moving through the area.
Tree Agama
Civet
Summer at Leopard Hills is in full swing as we await the first of the rains to fill up the watering holes and turn the bush into a lush green once again.
Written and compiled by Hugo Breed and Johan de la Rey.
John & Lesa Graybill recently stayed at Leopard Hills and managed to capture a some very special images which they shared with us and we’d love to share them with you.
If you have special Leopard Hills Images and memories, please post them on our Blog or Facebook Page.
It has been another action packed month out in the bush for all involved at Leopard Hills. Over this month some guests and rangers alike have experienced some pretty unique sightings, from a female Leopard giving it her all to protect her cubs from a Hyena, to a male Leopard killing an Impala and doing some impossible acrobatics to secure the kill in a tree.
Dayone is once again moving a lot, and covering big areas. His limp has improved and he is pretty much walking as if he doesn’t have any injuries any more.
Kashane has spent most of the month to the east with very few sightings of him in the West.
After the previous months Nyeleti seems to have been able to avoid further confrontation with the unidentified male, and recovered from the wounds. Nyeleti was the male Leopard that gave us a spectacular show as he killed an Impala behind the vehicle and then proceeded to take it up a tree, to avoid kleptoparasitism from a Hyena. For a while he couldn’t find a branch to safely secure the kill, and there were tense moments when everyone thought he was going to drop it into the Hyena’s mouth. He managed to jump at least two meters across to another branch with the Impala in his mouth.
Torchwood wasn’t seen very much this month, with him still being very nomadic and avoiding the dominant males.
Every now and again the Ravenscourt male will wander into the Western Sector, exploring a bit and then returning East.
It seems to now be confirmed that both of Hlaba Nkunzi’s cubs have been killed. We are not sure what happened, but we were all very sad with this news. It seems that she might be looking to reclaim her old stomping grounds in the Western Sector, as we have been seeing a lot more of her in this past month.
Thlangisa, the protector, is the female Leopard mentioned above, protecting her cubs. While we were enjoying a sighting with her and the two cubs, a Hyena appeared, investigating the area where Thlangisa had an Impala kill hoisted up a tree. When the Hyena came to close to one of the cubs and the cub not realising the Hyena was approaching, Thlangisa sprang into action, leaping out of the tree and attacking the Hyena with vigour. The Hyena did not know what hit it and made its way quickly out of the area. Both cubs are doing extremely well and their mom is taking care of them in the best way possible.
Xikavi was once again found mating a couple of times with Nyeleti. We are all hoping that she will have at least one successful litter.
The Scotia female seems to be spending a little bit more time in the Western Sector. On one occasion she stole a Waterbuck kill from a male Cheetah.
With the Majingilane coalition now having such a massive territory to control, we do not see a lot of them. This is a good thing for the two prides. These four males are definitely a force to be reckoned with as they all stand very tall and proud when they move through the West. When they were in the area they were mating with the one Othawa female again.
The Othawa pride has been moving a lot to avoid the Majingilane males. There are only two sub-adult cubs left in the pride, one male and one female. One of the cubs was separated for a couple of days, but luckily the Lionesses managed to find her again.
The Ximhungwe pride has also been moving from West to East to avoid the Majingilane. With a Lionesses leg being found on a bush walk, we have come to the conclusion that one of the Ximhungwe females has unfortunately been killed. We do not know if it were Hyenas or possibly a rogue male Lion, that was also seen in that area, that had killed her. The pride now consists of two adult females, one sub-adult male and four sub-adult females.
Cheetah sightings have once again been amazing, with us being able to see a different males and female moving through the area.
The Hyena population has sky rocketed in the West. Very few drives go by without seeing at least one individual. With their high presence, it has forced the Leopards to start thinking a lot more about hoisting their kills.
Some days go by where the bush will be quiet in terms of the mammals, but the birds are always there to entertain us.
General game sightings have also been spectacular, ranging from Side Striped Jackal to Reedbuck.
As we head into August we start to feel the change in seasons as the wind will start to pick up and with that the Spring will also start to come. For more daily updates follow and like us on www.facebook.com/LeopardHills.
As Game Drives left the Lodge yesterday afternoon, it wasn’t long until we received a Call from Sandra, our Head of Housekeeping that there was a leopard in the Lodge.
At first it was very difficult to see the Leopard, he was lying down as flat as he could possibly get right next to Suite 5’s door and pathway. The Nyala stood feeding about 5 meters from him for quite a while until he looked up and froze, obviously having the same difficulty as we did to identify what was on the browned winter grass, incredible how they blend into the environment. This Male Nyala then realised it was a Leopard and he frantically started alarming, which sent Dayone on his way.
As he was moving away from the very loud Nyala, not knowing which other predators have been attracted by the calls, it gave just enough time for the game drive vehicles to make their way back and see him walking away from suite 5.