On one of our Safari days we visited the Lemek Conservancy after hearing that a Cheetah with four young cubs had been spotted.
Unfortunately, days before we went, one of the cubs was killed. The story of what exactly happened to the cub is a little sketchy but we were told that the mother would be depressed and we should wait a couple of days before going.
When we arrived, the Cheetah family was in a bushy area, covered with greenery and branches. It was next to impossible to get a shot. We still tried, and I’m grateful that we did. We were able to see and photograph the remaining 3 cubs.
This ended up being my favorite shot from that morning. We didn’t stay very long, just long enough for each vehicle to see and take a few photos. The mother was resting and we did not want to disturb the family unit, especially at this sensitive time.
I would have loved to watch and photograph the cubs playing and romping but that was not to be. They stayed very close to mamma in the thick brush. This was shot through many branches with a lot of focal length. Still, I love the thick mantle on the cub. It has a bit of curl to it. The mantle is a silvery-grey clump of fur that helps to protect young cubs from predators..