Leopard hunting in Mombo during Lockdown

It all began about one-and-a-half years ago when this young male leopard Tladi (meaning ‘lightning’ in Setswana) introduced himself to the community, wowing guests along with his superstar mother, Phefo. Phefo is a daughter of Maru, one of two first-generation cubs (Pula was her twin) born to the original Mombo superstar, Legadima. Her legacy now lives on in this young male. He has recently been seen in and around camp – a delight for our team who have been witness to his movements! As with all young leopards, Tladi has been kicked out by his mother to fend for himself, and has been on his own for roughly eight weeks.

 

 

It is now not uncommon to see Tladi on the boardwalks, on top of the guest tent roof and in and around the family unit at Little Mombo. He has certainly made Mombo his new residence, with sightings of him sleeping under the boardwalk of our staff houses during the day.

 

 

 

At the tender age of just 14 months, on 11 August this leopard successfully hunted his first fully-grown adult kudu, shortly after he was spotted on top of the roof of Tent 5. Check out the video clips below that show this youngster in action.

 

 

 

This young male is an impressive size for his age and is already displaying successful hunting tactics passed down from his mother’s tutorship; this will surely stand him in good stead as he navigates the hostile world of the wild!

 

Lockdown in Mombo seems to have attracted a few more wildlife characters, and certainly more leopards in and around camp… This behaviour, which is most likely due to the minimal human presence, has provided some very interesting sightings of Tladi.

 

He continues to delight us in camp, and is certainly a worthy title-holder in the ‘legendary leopards of Mombo’ bloodline.