Tjololo

Tjololo was a male leopard living in the Mala Mala Game Reserve in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. He was the subject of the National Geographic documentary film Stalking Leopards.

He was discovered by wildlife photographer and filmmaker Kim Wolhuter in 1999 as a six-year-old male looking to establish a territory. His name Tjololo is a melding of words from the Swazi and Shangaan languages, which means “the one that stands alone.”

He was smaller than most males on the reserve but still managed to take control of a large territory encompassing nearly the whole of Mala Mala. He has had conflicts with bigger males but has emerged the victor in just about every confrontation. He was also featured on the cover of National Geographic Magazine in October 2001 and appeared in other documentaries by Kim Wolhuter.

In October 2007 he was found injured by rangers at Mala Mala, where he was darted in order to be treated by vets at Kruger National Park. As the procedure neared its end, the antidote was administered and Tjololo took his last breath and did not stir again. He was 14 years old.