Mufufunyane is known as the Gowrie male in Mala Mala.

He was born in the latter part of 1998 to the Paradise Valley female of Mala Mala. His father was the Rock Drift Male/Tjololo. He had one sibling another male.

Pictures below were posted in the Sabi Sands Leopard Identification group on Facebook by Nancy Vandermey and Kaye Nicholson. Lots of leopards are being identified there and cross referenced.

His brother apparently left their area fairly soon after reaching independence where as Mufufunyane over stayed his welcome and was known to be a real nuisance to females and their youngsters in the area, harassing them and stealing many kills.

Mala Mala wrote this about Mufufunyane/Son of the Paradise Valley Female in September 2001:

"At the end of the day, the thieving of kills and the blatant disrespect for territory shown by this young male will do no female leopards or their offspring any favours and in the same light will not help any adult male leopard in terms of ensuring that his offspring get the best possible chance of survival. Sooner or later the cub of Paradise Valley Female may well find himself in a predicament which teaches him a little more respect. Unfortunately for him, his father, the Rock Drift Male, has always been most tolerant of his behaviour and so the young male has perhaps grown accustomed to such an attitude. Anyways, it may soon be time for a rude awakening." http://www.malamala.com/MM7/LEOP_paradise.htm

He continued to be seen throughout most of 2002 in Mala Mala but with less frequency towards the end of 2002 and first half of 2003 when they stopped following him in theirCyberDiary.

After leaving the Mala Mala and the Londolozi areas, Mufufunyane moved North and started his territorial take over. Eventually he pushed out the dominant maleXivati. Within his new territory at that time, there were two well known territorial female leopards, Saseka and Safari.

He is believed to be the father of Saseka's single female cub, Nyaleti, born in January 2003. In late March or early April of 2005, Saseka bore two cubs with only one surviving after a few months. The surviving cub was named Salayexe. The belief that Mufufunyane sired both Nyaleti and Salayexe is due to his interactions with the youngsters.

In 2004, Safari bore two female cubs also believed to be sired by Mufufunyane, Karula and Tshemba. Tshemba was reportedly killed by lions or another leopard in 2006. Karula continues to be territorial in the Gowrie/Djuma area to this day and is raising her second set of cubs. Karula's first set of female cubs are thought to have been fathered by Mufufunyane as well.

Over the course of the years, there are bound to be even more cubs that he has sired or will sire.

Today he travels an expansive area (possibly becoming more nomadic) and is still seen venturing back into Mala Mala where he is known as the Gowrie male. His excursions there seem to be mostly when in search of females in estrous. He has been viewed on various occasions in Mala Mala mating with Safari and more recently, in December 2009, with the Ostrich Koppies female (known to Nkorho and Djuma Bush Lodge as theRipape female).

*A special thank you to Rob Vamplew, Head Ranger at Idube, for the identification of Mufufunyane being the original Son of the Paradise Valley Female.

Original written by Colleen and Karen