Wildcast

1st November 2000
What a puzzle to have to piece together when there are a number of options.
Early morning Tjololo was in a tree with a partially eaten bushbuck carcass, not far from the area where we’d left Shololwane last night.
Tjololo rested in the tree for some time before taking up a more comfortable bed on the ground. Shortly Shololwane sneaked in racing up the tree. Tjololo was hot on his trail and commandeered the carcass as Shololwane moved to the extremity of the branches and then bailed out the tree. Tjololo didn’t seem to be aggressive towards him, just wanting to keep control of the carcass.
So who killed the bushbuck? Did Tjololo take it over from Shololwane? I think that seems to be the most likely scenario.
In the afternoon apparently Shololwane was lying on the carcass all the time with Tjololo at the base of the tree. He made no attempt to chase Shololwane off. This alone reinforces our theory that Shololwane is one of his cubs. He would definitely not tolerate another young male in the area.
Around sunset Tjololo was moving around the base of the tree picking up scraps and then left the area with Shololwane still on the carcass.
Tjololo continued north on patrol and into the river. We had to leave him briefly to help Dale with his vehicle that wouldn’t start somewhere in the bush.
With him on the way again, and back at the river a leopard called close to us. It was the Newington female. She called a couple of times and Tjololo was there. Very excitedly she threw herself all over him, as she had done about a month ago when Tjololo retaliated aggressively beating her up a couple of times. That time she persisted after him for 2 days taking his abuse and then left with him at no time showing any interest in her.

Surprisingly this time Tjololo accepted her advances with glee and it wasn’t long before they were mating.  He took her east away from the river, his boundary, and then headed south mating on all through the night. At dawn he had led her back to the bushbuck kill. But now Shololtoo was their feeding on the remains of the carcass on the ground. He stood his ground growling as the courting couple carried on with their business in the area and sniffing around for scraps. At no time did Tjololo even threaten Shololtoo. Later Shololtoo moved into the tree with the carcass while the mating went on. Where was Shololwane?
It would appear that possession is the key although previously we have seen Tjololo take carcasses from his other females. Why is he not threatening these young males? Is it only because they’re his cubs? But why then steal other carcasses from his females?
Remember too that sometime ago when coming across Shololwane on his wanderings Tjololo chased him up a tree.
If we’d been out all that night we would’ve had the answers, but then we can’t be everywhere all the time.