AFRICA PHOTO SAFARI LIVE DIARY
DAY 19, A day full of surprises!
Hello!
Well here I am all settled back in the UK. The mountain of bills (sigh!) is almost paid and life is returning to whatever normal is for this month!
Sorry (again!) for the delay in writing this last post, however I have had to hit the ground running on my return on many fronts. And life has that way of muscling in front of your plans does it not?
We had a great last couple of days, Tony, Cheryl, Gordon (the fabulous group 2) and myself alongside Daniel out on the plains worked very hard and were rewarded on many fronts!
Two Cheetah kills within an hour of each other, one which too us by surprise racing past our breakfast table, to which Daniel shouted “Cheetah kill, leave the table; lets go. Come on GO!!!”. A great stroke of luck (we actually arrived on the scene before a lot of the vehicles that had been watching the stalk from the start). It was again Malaika who hadn’t fed since we last saw here a few days ago so it was a well needed meal for her and her two 3 month old cubs.
Well known for using vehicles as vantage points. Malaika was the very first cheetah I saw in the wild years ago and it is great to see her fit and healthy still.
With one of her two cubs, looking over the plains for a meal.
We were having our outdoor breakfast in a secluded area well away from where she (originally) was. However the chase came thundering past us, not more than one or two hundred meters away. We jumped in the car and raced over, one of the first on the scene!
Typical of a Cheetah kill, Malaika is here, calling for her cubs to now join her.
Ever vigilant after a kill. Cheetahs can and do have their meals stolen by many different rivals. Especially Lions and Hyena. The kill is (as are most) out in the open so she needs to be careful.
A technique I see on the majority of many Cheetah kills I have observed, dragging the meal to a safer, more secluded area.
As with Lion cubs too, the young one’s often don’t make her job easier.
Then, a few moments later as we were heading back to camp, another Cheetah makes a surprise kill right in front of us again!
The Cheetah was initially stalking this young one’s mum, but it revealed itself by accident and then there was no chance.
An easy meal which took us all by surprise.
Well, what a great morning! Heading out thinking we had had the highlight of the day already, Cheryl (one of the guests on my Workshop) pointed wildly. And what a spot (pun intended!). It was Acacia, the lightly coloured beauty, local to Bush camp sunning herself on a mound!
We then had a fantastic hour or two with her as she patrolled the area. It was a tricky area to keep up with her due to the terrain. However we managed to keep up and see some great sightings of her.
Stunning coat!
Thank you so much once again, not just for stopping by, but all your kind comments on Facebook and here.
If you would like to join me for next years tours, you can find details of it all here!
Last diary entry coming up tomorrow!
Richard.
Comments 2
AHHHH RICH, what a really really beautiful afternoon that was, how Blessed we all were to share such a fabulous afternoon, she really gave us a run around. When I think back, it was a wild pointing, just happy I didn’t chase her away. Fantastic images Rich, hard to beat them, well done, it shows how much you love what you do.
Thanks Cheryl!!! Was a crazy day!