Sighting of the Quarter

1/1/2022

A Leopard's Last Leap, MalaMala, Sabi Sand, South Africa

Click here to watch a YouTube video that MalaMala posted on the 2nd of December 2021, which shows the murder of a male leopard at the paws of the Kambula pride. Please note that the content of the video is graphic and may not be appropriate for all viewers. The victim is affectionately known as the "Marthly" male – an elusive fixture in the MalaMala landscape. On November 30^th he descended from his arboreal perch where he may have been chased by the 14 lions from the Kambula pride that were found nearby. The sound of his claws on the bark of the tree alerted the lions who immediately gave chase. The leopard headed for the closest tree and ascended it as several lions girdled the base, while others began climbing. He again propelled himself to the ground only to find himself encircled and ultimately asphyxiated. Nevertheless, the experienced leopard did not give up without a fight – delivering several significant blows to his perpetrators. Victoria Craddock, Ranger, recollects: "We salute you, 'Marthly' male. You were a leopard we saw infrequently, an aloof enigma on MalaMala. Your presence on the property kept us humble as sightings of you were often brief, reminding us never to take our habituated individuals for granted."

On a happier note, Old Mondoro in the Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia, recorded 53 sightings of aardvark in 2021, a pangolin, multiple sightings of two different leopards with young cubs; and countless elephants in camp including one standing on his back legs for the camera.

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