In this rare sighting, a male leopard is mating with two females who are sisters. Leopards are solitary, territorial animals—so sharing a mate in close proximity is unusual, but a Londolozi Game Reserve ranger observed multiple matings over several hours.

The sisters’ kinship likely made them more tolerant of each other’s presence, and the younger female, just 2.5 years old, is not yet territorial. The older female is now raising a litter of cubs, and it is possible that this mating in November 2017 resulted in the litter.