Known as Ezulwini’s blue-eyed leopard, Chavaluthu has got to be one of the most beautiful male leopards around. His unique name means ‘afraid of nothing’ in the local language, Tsonga. Brave indeed, this spectacular cat hunted a warthog and settled down to enjoy his hard earned meal in full view of admiring guests at Ezulwini Billy’s and River Lodge.
The Balule Private Game Reserve has been a performance of wildlife action recently, but watching this relaxed, confident leopard in his natural habitat has to be a highlight. Afternoon game drive is always full of activity with thirsty elephants visiting the local waterholes, herds of buffalo bulldozing through the bush, steeples of giraffe, and a healthy population of lion prides featuring almost daily.
Ezulwini has a long history with Chavaluthu, having consistently enjoyed sightings of him in his territory. He is a professional warthog hunter – evidence of which our guests have enjoyed on countless occasions. He stakes out termite mounds in which he can hear the movement of pigs and waits in ambush. This is a method used not only by leopards, but lions too. His ultra-relaxed manner and his ‘afraid of nothing’ reputation makes him one of the stars of the Balule bushveld.
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