Love struck

A leopard mating ritual is a rare and thrilling sight. Even more extraordinary to witness an amorous affair involving three members of this elusive Big Five species in Kruger.

- Romi Boom

Action and adrenalin spilt over at the bridge across the Mitomeni River in southern Kruger. The keen eyes of guide Estiaan Houy picked out a spot­ ted cat in the riverbed. Silence descended on the game drive vehicle from Jock Safari Lodge, which was the first private conces­ sion granted in South Africa’s flagship national park.

Careful scanning of the tall taupe grass revealed not one, but two of these elusive solitary creatures. Sometimes female leo­ pards are accompanied by their growing cubs. Opposite sexes generally mingle only for the period of courtship and mating. This pair transpired to be a cavorting male and a female.

Males can locate and mate with females as and when they enter oestrus and their hormones are at a level at which they are able to produce eggs. Females leave chemical clues in their urine and through constant calling. The male latches onto her scent using a gland on the palate that en­ ables him to measure hormone levels.