The beginning of new lives
on Oct 01, 2024We are fortunate to have numerous leopards roaming across Sabi Sabi, but when reflecting on the different individuals, certain leopards inevitably become favourites. One of the most renowned is the Ntsumi female, who has made a significant impact by successfully raising many offspring in our area.
This female currently has two more youngsters, both females which are approximately 15 months old. With leopards having a solitary social structure, the changes that happen from cubs to sub-adults and then again to adults can be very confusing to many.
As leopard cubs are born, they are very lovable and affectionate, especially to each other and to their mother. As they grow older, the bond between them strengthens, but they quickly lose this affection again after they reach about one year of age or older. From here you will start seeing the youngsters alone and away from their mother for longer periods of time, and you will see siblings also split up. They are slowly but surely learning how to survive by themselves and keep themselves safe without the help of another individual.
Generally, then around 14-18 months the sub-adults start moving away, becoming independent, making kills for themselves and not urging the presence of mom or siblings anymore. From here their solitary life begins, they must start looking for territory, as both male and female leopards are territorial. They also need to make sure they stay out of trouble, with other predators but also with other leopards.
Coming back to Ntsumi, she is a female that is nine years old. She is a very successful mother and has raised multiple young to independency, with the well-known leopards like Golonyi and the Nottins male being some of her previous cubs.
She has single handedly made sure our reserve, especially the eastern parts, strive with leopards. When she gave birth to her latest two daughters, we were excited to see what would happen, and if she would be once again be successful in raising them to adulthood, and against all the odds she has done it once again.
With a lot of close calls over the last few months, they have made it safely to the age they are now, but this is not the end of the road just yet and they will not be classified fully independent just yet.
Over the last three months we went through a stage where we didn’t get to see much of them. During this time Ntsumi started taking her two daughters further and further into the rest of her territory, exposing her daughters to all the other dangers and the unknown as she knows they will soon have to brave it and go and look for their own little territory.
As soon as they move away without meeting up with Ntsumi for more than a week or more, making their own kills separately during this time, they will only be considered independent females. This will also only be the time when we will name them, making it easier for us to follow their movements and get a better understanding of their territories and the leopard dynamics that are never ending.
During a recent sighting of the young daughters, we found the one female sleeping in a drainage line. Watching her as she slowly became active, posing and showing herself off to us. These are all very good signs as well, without the presence of her sister or Ntsumi being so calm around us shows that we treated them right during their time as cubs and never put pressure on them, thus trusting us.
We decided to leave and carry on with our safari as we didn’t expect anything else to happen, but we were wrong. As we pulled out of the drainage line, we found the second daughter making her way towards a small waterhole. We immediately followed her as she was clearly on her way to drink.
We sat with her for a fair amount of time before she rested on the dam wall, grooming herself before her sister made an appearance as well. They moved towards one another and greeted each other, briefly grooming each other before the other sister went down to drink water and lay a distance away.
This is very common for them to still hang around the same areas but often have a big distance between them, only interacting when passing right past each other.
During this short interaction we could clearly see the lovable and affectionate relationship busy disappearing, and even though they still know each other they already start following their separate paths. As the light faded away, they each made their way into the thickets, going their separate ways but every now and then still looking at their shoulders where the other one was going.
Also still meeting up with mom, especially when she has made a kill as they will still struggle to take prey down. But over the next 2 to 3 months things will change drastically. They will move further and further away from each other and from Ntsumi, until they just never meet back up again. Both daughters will have to look for a territory of their own and for a male that is going to accept each of them in their own given area.
We are hoping that both these beautiful and young females will survive and successfully take over a small territory of their own, keeping their good genetics across on our reserve and hopefully one day get cubs of their own in this area. For now, anything can still happen, and they might still not make it, but we are optimistic about their progress so far.
Watching them grow from tiny cubs that could barely walk, to very curious and energetic cubs, to sub-adults filled with uncertainty and hopefully one day proud adult leopards.
Seeing them going through different stages is something incredible; something that is a massive privilege as we grow with them, going through all the ups and downs of life and only time will tell what they will be doing with their very own story.
And who knows, maybe one of these females become one of the Sabi Sabi favourite leopards one day, keeping their mother’s name high.
Blog by Ruan Mey (Earth Lodge Ranger)
