The rangers from Umkumbe Safari Lodge are at the forefront of the scoop when it comes to leopard happenings within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve.
Our efficient khaki clad rangers, who are talented wildlife photographers, have been hard at work feeding back information to the office based digital team. The Sabi region is leopard central, which means there’s never a dull moment in terms of leopard antics. For the curious cat lovers out there who are passionate about the slender panthera pardis species who roam the Umkumbe traverse, here is your much anticipated leopard update.
Litte Bush and Kigelia
Little Bush’s cub has finally been named. In the past we referred to her has “Little Bush cub” but she is now officially called Kigelia and is often seen around the western area of the Umkumbe property. Bradley Chambers told us that Kigelia is part of the scientific name for a sausage tree (Kigelia africana). Although Kigelia has been fervent in exploring her new found freedom, Little Bush hasn’t been seen in a while.
Mxabene Male
Max has been distant for a few weeks. Rangers speculate that he is hanging around neighbouring camps. Mxabene’s Houdini act of disappearing and re-appearing is not uncommon. The last time Max was spotted was when he was casually strolling along a drainage line. Male leopards traverse large territories, which means we’ll see this agile cat returning in the coming weeks.
White Dam Female
We all know that White Dam has cubs. She has been seen on a regular basis and her cubs are located close to the lodge. Leopard cubs are completely reliant on their mother and are vulnerable when young. A few weeks ago White Dam had a fight with Nottens female – this could have been because she was protecting her cubs. We hope her cubs enter into adulthood without any glitches and grow up to become stealthy hunters with eagle-eyed accuracy.
Nottens Female
Sightings of Nottens have been scarce. If she is around, then she is not making her presence known. The last time the rangers had a full sighting of Nottens was when she was on a duiker kill.
What’s New? Leopard Gossip
5 days ago rangers stumbled across a new female on their property – the Dudley female. She has never been seen on the Umkumbe traverse before, so this was quite an interesting sighting. She was badly injured due to a showdown with a leopard from a neighbouring property and most likely sought refuge in an area unknown to her.
Erik