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November 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 8 YEARS 5 MONTHS
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALA MALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY (0 sightings)
There were no sightings of this male for the month. This leopard has not been seen for over three months now, so we’re assuming that he is dead. As such, the Emsagwen male will no longer feature on the monthly game report.
October 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 8 YEARS 4 MONTHS
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALA MALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY (0 sightings)
There were no sightings of this male for the month.
September 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 8 YEARS 3 MONTHS
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALA MALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY (0 sightings)
There were no sightings of this male for the month.
August 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 8 YEARS 2 MONTHS
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALA MALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY (6 sightings)
This male made an explosive start to the month when he was found mating with the Kikilezi female on consecutive days. He was seen patrolling after that and then just disappeared. We are not sure what happened to him, but he hasn't been seen in three weeks. Reports from the north suggest he was mating up there, so perhaps he is taking over new territory and females. What is interesting to note is that in his absence his territory is being eyed by the Airstrip male. These two new rivals will certainly come to blows, but when is the question.
July 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 8 YEARS 1 MONTH
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALA MALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY
(9 sightings)
With the Bicycle Crossing male seemingly out of the picture, the Emsagwen male has had the run of the mill for the month of July. The only other territorial male in the region is the Airstrip male, and he is still quite young and not nearly as powerful as the Emsagwen male. Sightings of the Emsagwen male during the report period indicated that he is still covering the same territory that he has covered for the past year. Leopards often shift their territory due to changes in prey distribution and pressure from lions, hyenas, or other leopards. The fact that the Emsagwen male has not shifted his territory bears testament to the fact that the area he is covering is prime leopard habitat. With plenty of prey species, and many females within his area, the Emsagwen male will continue to dominate the leopard population of MalaMala some time to come.
June 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 8 YEARS
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALA MALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY
(4 sightings)
This male still holds the largest territory of any leopard on MalaMala, and continues to span the entire width of the reserve. He has been known to traverse great distances, and we've spent many hours following his tracks only to find him much further along. The Gowrie male used to hold territory around Mlowathi Dam, but seems to have moved to greener pastures. This has allowed the Emsagwen male to be the sole visitor to that area abundant with game and water. Most of the sightings of him this month were around the Mlowathi area.
May 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 7 YEARS 11 MONTHS
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALAMALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY
(4 sightings)
He is still in complete control of his territory and is looking to expand it further. But instead of looking to take over the Bicycle Crossing male's territory, he has set his sights on the northern and western parts of Marthly, which were previously owned by MalaMala. He still patrols through his entire territory, but with little coming in the way of challenges for the territory he is spending a lot of time seeking out new lands. Lets hope we get to see more of him in the coming months as he is surely the most dominant male on MalaMala at the moment.
April 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 7 YEARS 10 MONTHS
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALA MALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY
(6 sightings)
The Emsagwen male continues to control one of the larger leopard territories on MalaMala. In his prime as a leopard, he spends a lot of time moving around this vast territory ensuring there are no others staking claim on 'his' land. He is seen less on the Western bank of the Sand River and now patrols the eastern bank as far south as the MalaMala/Flockfield boundary, and all the way west to the Kruger National Park. All the sightings of him this month were of him on the move. He's still as relaxed as always, and provides visitors with many great photographs.
March 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 7 YEARS 9 MONTHS
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALA MALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY
(7 sightings)
In stark contrast to the bicycle crossing male we are seeing this male as much as we usually do even though he is still expanding his empire, and an empire it is. His territory now extends across Marthly the entire Eyrefield and the whole of Mala Mala, and well into our neighbours to the north and east. The contrast between these two males is that one is still on the rise while the other looks to be on the decline but not as a result of each other as we expected. The Emsagwen male will make a push for the river again this winter but how much territory can one male hold and which parts will he give up?
February 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 7 YEARS 7 MONTHS
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALA MALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY
( 4 sightings)
The Emsagwen Male continues to cover vast distances while patrolling his territory. The sightings of this leopard were spread out over Mala Mala and Eyrefield showing that he is still very much in control of this area. He was seen on one occasion in the company of the Kikilezi female and her cub in the Ngoboswan donga. On this particular occasion the Kikilezi female and her cub began hunting an impala, the Emsagwen male tried to get in on the action but ultimately spoiled the hunt and both parties ended up going their separate ways. He remains the dominant force over the eastern parts of Mala Mala and Eyrefield, coupled with the decreased presence of the Bicycle Crossing male and more sightings of the Gowrie Male in the north it will be interesting to see whether or not he decides to extend his territory further south and indeed stake claim to the western bank of the sand river.
January 2011
EMSAGWEN MALE +/- 7 YEARS 7 MONTHS
EYREFIELD, EASTERN MALA MALA, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, MARTHLY
(8 sightings)
Roaming far and wide this month, sightings of him were recorded from Mlowathi Dam all the way down to the Mala Mala Flockfield boundary. Once he was seen to cross the causeway and go west behind the main camp but otherwise he seems to still be very much in control of the eastern bank of the Sand River. Most of the sightings were of him walking while scent marking and roaring. A few times he was seen to stalk impala but was always unsuccessful. For the time been all the male leopards seem to be content with one another and their territories, but who knows what this year will hold for the leopard viewing.
MalaMala Game Reserve, PO Box 55514, Northlands, 2116, South Africa.
Telephone: + 27 11 442 2267 or 0861 SAFARI.
Facsimile: + 27 11 442 2318
e-Mail: reservations@malamala.com
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