Leopard politics

It is a privilege to be able to watch leopard behavior and we are fortunate enough to have a leopard population that lets us do just that. At the moment, the leopards of Exeter are caught in the midst of male warfare! The old dominant Wallingford male is being put under pressure from all sides, most especially from the up and coming Tegwaan male. This means that the females are caught in the middle of it! We have noticed some strange behavior because of this, and over the past few days, have seen a young two and a half year old female hanging around the Tegwaan male. This is very strange, as she has been displaying classic courtship signals, and has been with the male for three days. She is too young to be mating, so we think she is trying to gain the protection of the male, so once he takes over territory, she will be looked after. She is still in the territory of her mother, who has new cubs. These cubs are not the Tegwaan males’ cubs, and he is trying to kill them because of this. She has moved to the extreme West of her territory, and this has allowed her youngster to sneak in, and fraternize with the newcomer!! Only time will tell what happens and we will update all who are interested.

Posted: &BEYOND Exeter Lodges by Chris Renshaw, Date: 27 August 2008