This week we take you on an adventure where we start off spending the afternoon with the mother cheetah and her now sub-adult male very far north. The golden backlit scene of the two cheetahs couldn’t be more spectacular. Our hopes of them hunting in the open clearing were quickly halted as we noticed a hyena come walking through the scene, making it no longer worthwhile for the cheetah.
However, they do get up and start moving with the setting sun in the background making for such a stunning sunset scene.
This week we also include a bit of sad news in that we believe the Plaque Rock Female has sadly lost her cubs. After she moved them into the river we never saw them again.
And we then finish off with some very intriguing news. The Birmingham Male is back and looking as good as ever. We got some intel from the eastern neighbours saying that they had turned up over there. We then find the Birmingham Male looking very well fed and spend some time with him this morning. We will return there this afternoon and hope to see him join up with the Nkuhuma Male.
Enjoy this Virtual Safari…
A pretty young playful female found along the river to the east of camp
To view the YouTube link, click here.
great safari today, so glad seeing the cheetahs, and sad for the leopard cubs, looking forard to return
Thank you so much, Ennio. It is really sad about the cubs but I guess it is the circle of life. We can only hope for her to fall pregnant again soon and give birth to some more cubs.
Elating video ! The cheetah, the gentle hunters… glad to see the young guy is safe and sound! Then poor Plaque Rock Female, I know that leopards sometimes take a long time to get acquainted with the loss of their cubs. Hopefully she has… the Birmingham male is back! Great news! He’s such a handsome male, how old is he now? He definitely doesn’t want to give up!
Thank you so much, Francesca. It was great to see the cheetah. We were so excited to see the Birmingham Male. The Birmingham Males were born around 2010/2011.
Sean, thanks for the updates on the cheetahs and the lions. It is good to see the Birmingham Male back and in such good shape.
It really is so good to see the Birmingham Male alive and well.
How exciting to see the Birmingham male on the property again. He looks fantastic, save for his broken tooth, but it obviously doesn’t affect his eating! It is brave of him to return to his former territory, being the Ndhzengas and Plains Camp males have put their marks within the territory. I’ll look forward to his next update.
The two cheetahs are such beautiful animals and I’m happy to see them in that late afternoon light. The fact that they’re more of a plains’ animal, do these two tend to live in the southern end of the property where it is more grassy without the koppies and so many trees? Is this the reason there are not many cheetah that inhabit this area? In all my visits to the SabiSand Reserve since 2000, I’ve never seen a cheetah, but then there are so many other things to see….. looking forward to the next video.
It is great to see the Birmingham Male again.
No, the two cheetahs have been roaming around all over. We would expect them to be in the open grasslands of the deep southwestern parts of the reserve. And the high density of other predators means that the cheetah populations are low.
What happened to the tumbela male
We don’t see the Tumbela Males here, so I am not too sure what happened.
These are indeed stunning scenes with the two cheetah in the beautiful evening light. So good to see them again and well.
It is really a pity that the Plaque Rock Female lost her cubs. Life is really hard for little cubs out there in the bush.
And what a great surprise that the Birmingham male is still alive and obviously in good shape. A broken tooth and some scratches in his face but otherwise happy and well-fed. By the way, how do the males know that another male is their offspring or at least a relative? Is it the smell of the animal or do they remember the features?
And thanks a gin for another great video.
Thank you so much, Christa. It was great to see the cheetahs.
I agree life is really hard as a cub in the wild.
The Birmingham Male is still doing very well and in such great condition. They might be able to tell that they are related through scent. Sometimes they have been in contact with each other and are able to remember.
HI Sean, very sad news about the Plague Rock female losing her cubs. They were so cute . Hopefully she will come on heat quickly to be able to have new cubs. Wonderful to see the Birmingham male lion is back on Londolozi. Stunning lion he is and may he and Nkuhuma male be a formidable duo. So good to see Cheetah mom and son again. Both looking absolutely gorgeous.
The cubs were so cute. We will hopefully have new cubs soon. The Birmingham Male is very impressive. I hope they hang around a little longer.
So so sad about Plaque Rock losing her cubbies……both Xidulu and Tlalamba losing their cubs recently too. There is an awful lot of competition now and so many wandering males….poor girls.
It is really sad. I hope she has some new cubs soon.
Sean, great coverage of the cheetahs! How long do you think the young males will stay with his mother? Sad news about the cubs! Hoping you will have some exciting lion news to report! 😉
Thank you so much, Michael and Terri. The young males normally stay with their mothers for between 18 and 24 months.
Great package of highlights Sean! Is this litter the second of the Plaque Rock Female’s or has she had another since then?
Thank you, Michael. This was her second litter of cubs that she has lost. But I believe she has been seen mating with the Maxim’s Male recently.
Wow the light on those Cheetah was amazing! So great to see the Birmingham male again – such an impressive Lion. Would have loved to see him one last time but it was not meant to be.
Thank you so much, Kara. The light was so stunning on the cheetahs. We were so happy to see the Birmingham Male again.