Rosie has been in contact with the resident male Leopard so we do anticipate she may have cubs in the near future. She has also had to avoid a more dominant older female Leopard which has always used the Southern side of the Tumbeta Private Game Reserve. We quite often find her having to move a large distance only to find tracks of another Leopard. This territorial behaviour is very important for their survival in a game farming environment and for keeping the right balance to avoid too much impact on the prey populations.

By having these large territories which they will defend against other Leopards, they manage their density according to the available prey and ensure there won’t be an excessively high Leopard density in any single area. Leopards are solitary animals with large territories and this allows them to be able to survive on game farms without having too much impact on the plains game species. They also play an important role in weaning out the weaker animals and keeping the smaller predators in balance. Black backed Jackal continues to be an important prey item.

She has also killed Aardwolf, Caracal and African Wild Cat.

Rosie also specializes in feeding on ground birds, she commonly catches Spur Fowl (Francolin) and Guinea Fowl. We have a very high population of these birds on the reserve and they are an important, sustainable food source.