The male cheetah appears to be hanging around at Londolozi. We started seeing him some months ago. At first we thought he may just pass through, but it appears he may be contemplating including Londolozi as part of his territory. Although present, this male is still exceptionally difficult to find, and often requires lots of patience, tracking, skill and a fair amount of luck. The reward however is often mind blowing. There are few animals as photogenic as this young male cheetah. When found, he seems to think it part of his responsibility, to pose for us. On termite mounds and in trees he parades around Londolozi like a ramp model; and we love him for it.
There are few animals more beautiful than the cheetah. When caught in the early morning sunlight this animal just shouts out to be looked at and photographed. Luckily for us we, as a team, have managed to find this animal more and more frequently.
Termite mounds are a favourite for the cheetah. Offering an elevated position and a good view over the surrounding grasslands.
A side profile of a cheetah shows just how ‘gentle’ and feline looking this cat is. Not an ounce of fat…built for speed.
Claws unsheathed and always at the ready. Although not lovers of trees, they do often use fallen over marula trees as a vantage point. I have even seen this male scent marking quite high up in a tree before.
You can see where this male had previoulsy scent marked (defecated) on the branches. There is an abundance of fallen trees and termite mounds at Londolozi, offering some excellent spots for this male to survey his kingdom.
My personal favorite…the eyes of this young male cheetah sparkle as he peers over the top of the mound. The shinning eyes not only reflect the sunlight but the prospect of yet another kill.
To end it off…a descent from a tree providing a bit of motion and the unexpected.
Now he just needs to find a female!
Written and photographed by Adam Bannister
Adam,
Thank you for the young male cheetah update. We were there at the end of June/beginning of July and able to follow him one evening (thanks Lucien and James!). I am so glad to know that he is doing well and still being seen there. My family daily checks the blog and can’t tell you how much we enjoy hearing about what is happening in Londolozi.
Amy
Thanks Amy. It makes a huge difference to me to write to an audience whom I know are excited to hear more. I love writing and will continue to share my magic moments with all of you readers. PS your comments are all wonderful and I love reading them ALL. Thank you – Adam
Ad, these are some outstanding photos of this cheetah. I love the shots of him in the trees in particular!
What a beauty!!!! Cheetahs are my favourite big cats because of their defenselessness. Lions live together, leopards are opportunists, cheetahs, especially females with cubs , count on themselves.
Adam,
Please ask him to hang around at least until we arrive in December!
Il try Curtis. I think if you could get hold of a female for him he would hang around for sure!
Adam,
Thanks so much for posting these fabulous shots of him. Cheetah are my absolute favourite and seeing them in the wild is such an experience. I was at Londos a couple of weeks ago and we did try to find him but to no avail. I hope he sticks around and makes Londos his home and perhaps calls for some friends. Looking forward to continued updates on him.
Best,
Zoe
Breathtaking!!
Terrific pics Adam. I was just thinking about this cheetah this morning and wondering if he was still at Londolozi.
Adam,
He is Magnificent….hope he stays around till I get there in November. Would love to get some great pictures of our Handsme Male….:)
Great update. Nice for you all to have a resident cheetah. His eyes are gorgeous! Thanks for all the beautiful pictures of my favorite big cat!
Elegance, splendor, dignity.
Fabulous !
What a magnificent animal, Adam and maybe quite aware of his own beauty. Hopefully there is a female
for him around Londolozi,
It should be exciting to have this handosme cheetah in the reserve, since there are not a lot of them :). I’m happy that he’s alive.
Wonderful photos of the cheetah, thanks for the blog brings back such great memories of our amazing time at Londolozi.
Annie
Strike a pose! Can’t wait to photograph him myself in a couple of months. Well done, as always, Adam!
Hi again Adam,
These are awesome shots Adam, well done and thanks for sharing them with us. This is my second best cat!
Regards,
Ted.
I plan to return to Londolozi next winter and only hope we can experience this majestic cat. Thank you for the updates and fabulous photos!
Wow, what an awesome looking cat! I love his copper eyes. Cheetah are such svelte and swift creatures.
I hope he finds himself a mate and gives you many more photo opportunities.
Thanks Adam