Growing up we all have a favourite animal. In the same way, we have a favourite team that we support. You are not often sure why your younger self chose that team or that animal but your support is always unwavering. That animal, for me, has always been a cheetah. So what’s better than seeing a cheetah? Seeing two. Or even better, a cheetah with cubs.
Even at a young age cheetahs will look for vantage points of fallen over trees. They also provide a perfect playground for young cubs.
I still remember the first time I had seen cheetah cubs as a young boy visiting the Kruger National Park and it was only many years later that I had the luck of seeing one of these incredible animals with its adorable little cubs. This day was only a few months ago.
We had heavily forecasted rain for the morning and so we decided to leave camp slightly later than normal and decided to take a chance and look for a cheetah in the open savanna areas of the southwestern parts of Londolozi. The open grasslands allow one to see far into the distance but the coat of a cheetah is superbly camouflaged and if they happen to be lying down in the long grass it can make it near impossible to spot them at a distance. Luck was on our side as we turned a corner and tracker Tshepo Dzemba shouted, “Stop!”
A playful and inquisitive cheetah cub abandoned the long grass, where its long fur aids its camouflage, to investigate what was on the road.
The excitement in his voice, which I am now very well acquainted with, made me realise it was a predator and I naturally assumed that it was a leopard as cheetah are easily our rarest sighting. I hadn’t yet seen it but as he stumbled his way through his excitement he eventually said, “cheetah, cheetah!” She was literally 5 metres off the road.
As I turned the vehicle around he said something that I will never forget, “she has a kill and two cubs!”
A watchful mother cheetah keeps an eye out for any danger while she and her two young cubs feed on an impala ram she had just caught.
At this point, I could barely contain the excitement as my adrenaline levels surged. This was the holy grail in terms of sightings for a loyal cheetah fan. We spent the next few hours with her as she finished her kill and moved off with cubs full-bellied and playfully chasing each other. This was the first time we had seen her on our property with her two young cubs and it would be another few weeks before we had the opportunity to see them again.
Cheetahs are at the bottom of the predator hierarchy and this means that there are many dangers that lurk around each corner for her and her young cubs. Anything from a lion to a python could pose a serious threat to the livelihood of the small cats. Mother cheetahs, like other cats, will defend their cubs to their utmost, often having to face off to a much larger predator. One of the main defensive strategies employed is to distract the larger predator and lead them away while their cubs make a run for cover. This, however, leads to the cubs being separated from their mother only to the hope that through contact calling the mother will be able to find the cubs again.
It was no more than a few weeks ago that this cheetah popped up again, however, with only one cub. It’s difficult to not get attached to the animals that we share incredible moments with while we watch them go about their daily tribulations, but the sadness of seeing a mother with one cub less is soon overshadowed by the thrill of spending new time with her and her last remaining cub.
A mother cheetah scans the open savanna as her cub looks at her for some attention
We have been fortunate enough to see her and her cub on a more regular basis over the past few weeks as she has been moving deeper into the central parts of Londolozi. Her cub, now about seven months old is slowly losing the longer back fur that cheetah cubs have to camouflage themselves in the grasslands that they tend to favour. With only about 5% of cheetah cubs making it to adulthood this mother cheetah certainly has her work cut out for her. Fingers crossed she is able to navigate the difficult waters of a predator-rich environment and raise her cub to independence and provide us and our guests with more amazing sightings of them.
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I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated this blog Barry and your accompanying photos. I’ve always had an affinity for cheetahs knowing how difficult it is for them to survive in the bush and actually was shocked at your 5% survival statistic. I know how difficult it is to track or view cheetahs as it seems they can conceal themselves more easily than leopards. With all the “Save the” campaigns, perhaps more attention needs to be directed towards cheetahs. Fingers crossed she will be able to raise her cub to adulthood….
It’s always sad to lose a cheetah. Like the Tsalala female, cheetahs will always be one of my favourite animals. I wish more could be done to save these precious creatures.
Barry what a lovely storie and stunning foto’s of the Cheetah and her cubs. They are so beautiful and so furry, I love those black markings beside their nose to there mouth. Unfortunately now there is only one cub left and I feel so sad, because the Cheetah have difficulty in raising the cubs to adulthood. Hope this one cub makes it to adulthood and starts their own family.
Barry what was the little cub looking at in the road.
I am in awe anytime I see one. Unfortunately my first cheetah view was at a zoo when I was a child, it was caged. One of the saddest view in the world that haunted me. Even with the loss of the wonderful cub my heart flatters when I see them wild and free.
Lovely blog Barry, I could feel the excitement of the first time you saw her and the sadness when one of the cubs was gone – hopefully the second one reaches maturity .
Cheetahs are pretty spectacular animals! Who wouldn’t be impressed with their speed and beauty?
I enjoyed all the photos in this post… especially Patrick’s pic of the two cubs. The dramatic centering of the one cub staring straight at me. It took me awhile to even see the second cub. Great!
Great photos, Barry and a lovely article on this cheetah mum and her cubs. They are also one of my favorite animals and I love following and watching them. I really admire cheetah mothers who have to work and fight so hard to bring up their little ones, especially if there are several cubs.
Barry, what a lovely story . Cheetah’s have always been one of my favorite animals. I guess because they are so fast and I admire anything that can run at a fast pace. Sorry to see the loss of a cub, hope she is successful in raising the remaining cub. Thanks again.
On our very first day at Londolozi, we witnessed a cheetah stalking and killing an impala. When the call came on the radio that there was a cheetah siting, our guide took us on a wild ride to get to the site. The entire sequence took over 2 hours and was quite suspenseful. The takedown occurred less than 20 meters from the vehicle after the cheetah led the charge directly at our vehicle. The cheetah called for its 2 cubs to finish the kill. We had no idea how “special” this siting was until our guide and tracker informed us that this was a first for them.
Fabulous blog, Barry. At what age do the cubs become independent on average – is it similar to leopard cubs?
Cheetahs are my very favorite cat! Of course, my favorite cat is often the one that I am with at that moment and all cats are supremely beautiful, but cheetahs and their cubbies will always hold a very special place in my heart, ever since I saw them hunting in eastern Serengeti on my very first safari!
Barry, I was shocked to read that only 5% of cheetah cubs survive to adulthood. Is that normal for all the big cats? Thank you for the fabulous photos.
Barry, What a magical experience! We love seeing Cheetah too, but for you to find cubs is the “Holy Grail”! Hoping that cub makes it – fingers crossed!
What a super blog Barry and well worth waiting for, as I have not been able to catch up on the Londolozi world for sometime now. I too put the cheetah on the top of my list as they are so very vulnerable and rarely seen. I have only ever seen cheetah once. Three youngish males together right on the side of a quiet dirt road in the KNP about 30 years ago ! I was lucky to have them all to myself for over an hour and will remember it forever. I would give my eye teeth to see a mother and her cubs though…what a rare treat indeed.
Cheetahs are my all time favorites amongst the big cats Barry, and your lovely blog about this cheetah and her cub only endears me to them more. Here’s to rooting for this cheetah mom and her cub, and looking forward to hearing how they’re faring in the future!