A lone silhouette silently padded towards us. The backlight from the second vehicle cast an
eerie glow around a muscular physique and sand puffed up from under powerful
paws as they glided down the road.
Sandriver was back. Over a year
ago, this mighty specimen was dethroned as the king of the entirety of Sabi
Sabi by a younger male we have come to know as Xihangalas; but times have
changed. Xihanagalas has not been seen
very much over the past few months and news of his absenteeism had been quick
to reach the former ruler. No longer did
the breeze from the east carry with it the familiar scent and territorial calls
of his old adversary as it had done before.
The door had been opened and the old warrior did not need a second
invite to walk through.
His posture and attitude said it all. Fearless of any foe that he might meet as he
moved deeper into his old territory, stopping to call and scent mark every few
hundred meters, there was no doubt that he was making a play for his old
domain. The lonely life of a leopard is
harsh but Sandriver walked with a confidence that comes from self reliance and
he looked good with it. Full belly and velveteen
coat left no doubt that he was still at the top of his game, regardless of his
one handicap. His blind right
eye, opaque in colour, glowed like mercury as the powerful spotlight rays glinted off it; a daily
reminder of the titanic battle that waged against his younger conqueror all
those months ago. The metallic quality,
coupled with the aura of authority oozing from him made think of the Terminator
movies – a lone warrior whose indestructibility meant that, regardless of
superficial injury, he was as efficient a killing machine as ever.
We followed him through the reserve, as he delved deeper
into his former territory. His internal
GPS seemed to suffer no consequences as at no point did he stop to evaluate his
position. A leopard’s knowledge of every
inch of his domain is essential: knowing the best hunting grounds and escape
routes should he encounter marauding lions on his travels.
Every so often he
would stop and cock his head to listen.
As we strained to match the acuteness of his hearing, we heard the faint
but familiar rasping sound of another leopard in the distance. Sandriver’s pace quickened and his level of
territorial activity increased as he made a beeline in the direction of the
challenge. He began to drool, saliva
hanging from the corners of his mouth, a typical response in leopards to
heightened emotions. The smell of his
pheromones wafted through the night’s air.
Best equated to the smell of popcorn, this aroma contains all the
information another leopard needs to evaluate the individual. Routinely he stopped at bushes to wipe glands
situated on the side of his face and his paws on to the leaves, leaving no
doubt to others that he was back.
Occasionally he lay down to rest, but never for long. There was business to attend to and old
scores to settle. The other male’s calls
grew louder as he closed in on their location.
Silently he drifted across the savanna but a leopard’s instinct never
sleeps. As if to prove to us, and anyone
else watching, that his compromised vision did not hinder him, moments later
his good eye focused on something on the ground close by. In the blink of an eye, his toned legs
propelled him through the air as he pounced on a petrified scrub hair. The 75kgs of feline perfection made short
work of the snack and the entire hare was dispatched in a few minutes, fur,
bones and all. But there was no time to
savour the flavour as Sandriver continued his relentless march.
Time was against us however and forced us to return to the lodge salivating at the prospect of what we might find the nest day. We know that the calls heard by the old king were coming from the Mahlathini male and only time will tell if Sandriver’s confidence and experience will be enough to subdue to new sovereign of the north, or whether youthful self belief will be enough to keep the old campaigner at bay. For those of us who have been at Sabi Sabi for a while, to see Sandriver’s return was a real treat. It just goes to show that nothing in nature is finite and that the dynamics of territories and dominance are not set in stone. Whilst we revel in change, a large part of me wants to see Sandriver’s empire return to its former glory and I cannot wait to witness to no doubt turbulent struggles that will accompany it!
