Mating leopards: Mawelawela & Kigelia

Love is in the air at Sabi Sabi! We tracked a female leopard and got excited when we saw a male leopard had joined up with her. Their tracks were leading into a drainage line, which is an extremely good sign, possibly indicating that they are mating! Kigelia, whose cubs recently became independent, is mating with Mawelawela.

This is the only time an adult male and female leopard will be seen together. The female will only come into oestrus after her last litter are independent, making herself available again. She will advertise to the males in her area that she is ready to make by calling out, and also releasing chemicals in her urine indicating she is in oestrus. A male will then follow that scent and meet up with her.

The mating ritual will take place over a period of 3-4 days, with them mating every 15-20 minutes. When mounting the female, the male will bite down on her neck when he is extracting, to provide a sense of comfort. When she was still a cub, this is how her mom would have carried her around, and this calms her down. After the mount, he will extract and while he is doing so, they will growl at each other, and she might even turn around and smack him with her paw! They will normally stay in the same area for a few days, hunting and eating together.

Видео Mating leopards: Mawelawela & Kigelia канала SabiSabiReserve