Over the past 3 weeks we have been concerned with the whereabouts of Maxabeni, the dominant leopard that traverses the territory surrounding Umkumbe Safari Lodge in the Sabi Sand Wildtuin. Easily identifiable by the deeply etched scars above his cheek and dark rosettes on his coat, he is one of Umkumbe’s favourite leopards.
The last time Maxabeni was spotted he appeared to have been in a fight. We think he lay low for a while to tend to his wounds. Our concern was his survival. On Thurs last we week we spotted him back in our territory! He wasn’t himself, but he is looking strong and healthy. He stalked a warthog and failed, but later on followed through with an impala kill on a neighbouring property.
The Notten’s female was seen quite often in our territory, until recently, when White Dam announced her presence in Notten’s territory. There are going to be interesting times ahead – especially when the Notten’s female bumps head with White Dam. We are not sure if the Notten’s female has disappeared completely or if she will come back with vengeance!
Only time will tell…one thing’s for certain, Umkumbe Safari Lodge is enjoying an abundance of leopard sightings at the moment.
We hope you enjoy the series of photos below. And the elephant herd photo? We suspect Maxabeni scared the elephant herd, which is why they moved rapidly from the river. Welcome back Maxabeni.
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