Editor’s Note: The following sighting was from a few weeks ago, before the mother cheetah had lost the use of her right eye.
The first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset provide the most beautiful light in which to photograph people, landscapes and wildlife. Known as the golden hours, the low angle of the sun throws a warmer, softer light and, some would say, a magical glow on everything upon which it falls.
On our first safari drive during our most recent visit to Londolozi, the sun was beginning to drop low in the sky as Grant, our guide, and Jerry, our tracker spotted a mother cheetah and her two cubs in tall grass beneath a tree. Expecting to see small cubs, we were surprised to find almost-grown adolescents curiously peering out at us from behind overhanging branches, the golden light of sunset dappling their faces.
One of the cubs hides behind the branches of a Peltaphorum tree.
Before long, the mother cheetah was up and moving into the long grasses, made golden by the magic light. She stopped often to check her surroundings, swivelling ears and eyes for any danger. It was striking to see that her amber eyes were turned deep red by that amazing light!
The mother cheetah, bathed in golden light looks towards her cubs.
Amber eyes beautifully illuminated by the lowering sun.
The cubs soon followed their mother out of the woodland, keeping a close eye on her and each other. The golden hour was turning more reddish as the sun neared the horizon and we started to lose the light altogether.
The light simply couldn’t have been better in this sighting!
One of the cubs approaches its mother (foreground).
We caught our last sight of the female up on a termite mound, waiting for “the kids.” As we left the cheetah family for the evening, we agreed that seeing cheetahs in the golden hour before sunset was an incredible end to our first afternoon safari!
Some days later, very early on our morning drive, Jerry Hambana, our tracker, shouted “Cheetah!,” pointing across an open grassland to a termite mound in the far, far distance and, amazingly, yes, there was the mother cheetah and the cubs! How could he see them that far away?! Off road we tore, Grant avoiding trees and rocks and holes as we moved quickly to catch the cheetah family while they were still up on the termite mound! We circled behind for some silhouette shots before coming around to watch them as they faced the slowly rising sun.
The cheetah family settled on a termite mound as the sun began to peer above the horizon.
A different perspective of the same scene; with the sun behind us instead.
As the sun broke the horizon and spread its golden rays, the cheetahs were glowing in the soft red-gold light of the early morning.
The size difference between the cub (lying down) and its mother is clear in this picture, especially in their respective head sizes.
All three rested on the top of the mound as the sun rose and warmed the crisp winter morning. The mother was constantly on the alert and the cubs were clearly learning from her as three heads and three sets of ears turned frequently, catching bush sounds and movements from all directions.
With the light changing to pure gold, the female decided to move on and took the lead, heading down from the termite mound into the tall grass beyond. The cubs followed but, once in the open bush, couldn’t resist wrestling with each other, climbing a fallen tree, running through the grass – playful youngsters and fun to watch.
Meanwhile, Grant and Jerry kept their eyes on the mother cheetah, too. They tracked her movements to another termite mound from which to search for both food and possible trouble. The two cubs trailed behind but eventually joined her as the sun moved high in the sky; the magic light gone for now. We moved off to enjoy our morning coffee, utterly thrilled to have had the chance to see the cheetahs twice this visit!
The last view we had of the three cheetahs. With any luck they’ll be around for our next visit.
Amazing sightings of the cheetah Mary Beth. Stunning pics. We were forrunate to view the mother and cubs on our first game drive last week. Got lovely pics. Unfortunately the mother had an injury to her eye. Jerry has got eyes like an eagle. Many years ago he spotted a cheetah when he was our tracker, that we thought was impossible to see. He deserves the title of master cheetah spotter.
He sure does, Marinda! He tracked the family during that afternoon drive then actually spotted them that early morning! He’s amazing!
We have seen these cheetah too and loved watching them. It is a rare privilege to see them in the wild. Loved your story and your enthusiasm. You and your husband sound a lot like us, except we are in Tennessee. We both love hiking and photography. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks, Darlene!
What a fabulous adventure you had Two sightings in two days, taking advantage of both the golden hours. What camera/lens were you using.? You had some nice tight shots.
I’m hoping they’ll still be around in November. I’ll be there for Thanksgiving during my three days there. Countdown is on……
I’m excited for you, Denise! Wish I was on my way back soon! I use a Canon 7D with either a 100-400 mm or 70-200 mm/f2.8e Canon lenses.
Glad you were able to capture so many excellent images of this cheetah family and create another lifetime memory at Londolozi! Also very glad you were able to capture images of the mother while both eyes were unaffected. What a trip!
A fabulous trip…and the next one is booked!
Pure magic!
Can you say if the moms eye injury has healed?
Perhaps James has a current update…