Male Cheetah in Namibia
Cheetah with her Gazelle Kill
Mom and Cub Cheetah Play
Mother Cheetah Grooming Her Cub
Female Leopard Up A Tree
Male Leopard
Female Leopard (Xivula)
Leopards Mating (Mvula & Xivula)
Kalahari Black Maned Lion at Sunrise
Grumeti Lions
Lionesses In The Rain
Young Lioness Watchful
Kalahari Lions Mating
Brother and Sister Lions Sleeping
Kalahari Black-Maned Male Lion
Ololo Pride Resting
Male Lion Steals Some Food
Male Lion Being Lazy
Male Cheetah in Namibia
Cheetah with her Gazelle KillMost people don’t like to see big cats and their prey. I think it is a natural part of nature and how the big cats survive. The eco-system in Africa thrives based on each animal playing it’s role.
Mom and Cub Cheetah Play
Mother Cheetah Grooming Her Cub
Female Leopard Up A TreeAnother interesting situation in SAbi Sands, South Africa. This female leopard was chased up a tree by two other female leopards. She had crossed over into their territory and was giving a warning. My understanding is that they other two leopards where her mother and grandmother. I do not know if they recognize their offspring or not. Leopards are extremely solitary and elusive so they typically don’t like to share space with others.
Male LeopardQuarantine walking through some brush as he stalks his prey.
Female Leopard (Xivula)This young female leopard was mating with Mvula, a male leopard, when we came across her. She used to live in Sabi Sands but was killed by another male leopard named Tingana the year after I saw her. He may have sensed she was pregnant or had cubs and he felt compelled to remove another offspring that was not his. Big cats live very hard lives and survival is a day to day job. If you want to know more about the Leopards of Sabi Sands, you can search Facebook and find a number of group pages that will keep you informed.
Leopards Mating (Mvula & Xivula)Many people think that big cat mating is rape. It isn’t. The female will walk close to the male’s nose and whip her tail when she is ready. She then walks away and lays down and waits for him to mount her. It is normal in wild animal mating for the male to bite the female. Once the deed is done, the female usually is the first to growl and nip at the male. They then go lay down and will do it again in about 5-10 minutes.
Kalahari Black Maned Lion at Sunrise
Grumeti LionsThis is one of my favorite shots of this cub. He is only a few months old but already acting like a mature cat. They will bite their mom’s tail until she turns around and swats at them…game on!The older cubs will lie in wait for the younger cubs and trip them. Before you know it the game ensues and lions are running around everywhere having a wonderful romp before they go off the rest for the day.
Lionesses In The RainThese two lionesses were sleeping when it started to rain. Before you knew it, one of them decided to shake all of the water out of her coat. It was a wonderful moment to capture a photo of it!
Young Lioness Watchful
Kalahari Lions MatingLion mating is a rough sport. But the record needs to be set straight about how it works. The female initiates breeding contrary to the idea that she is being raped.When she is fertile, she will go and swipe her read end and tail across the males face. If he thinks she is ready, he will mate with her. Once a pair has joined up, they tend to mate every 15-20 minutes for the next 5-7 days. They fast during this time and the male makes sure no other males are around.Lions are pretty good at ensuring pregnancy which is why the prides can grow very big quickly.
Brother and Sister Lions SleepingI love the lions and could hang around a pride of sleeping lions all day. The rain had just stopped on this early morning in the Masai Mara. The pride was huddled in pairs trying to stay warm. This young male and his sister were nuzzling trying to wipe the rain off of their coats. Never make the mistake in thinking that a sleeping lion is really asleep.You can see the young male is watching us and keeping tabs on what we are doing even though he is presumed to be resting. They can strike quickly at any moment!
Kalahari Black-Maned Male LionThe Kalahari desert is a very special place. It is an isolated tract of land that spans across both Botswana and South Africa. The lions in this area are bigger than lions found in other parts of Africa. The males are known for their long black manes. It is quite profound to see a lion as stunning as these; they clearly are the lion of lions. I had the great privilege of seeing this male and I wanted to capture what it felt like to be stared down by him.
Ololo Pride RestingIn the Masai Mara there is an area known as the Mara Triangle. It is a smaller track of land and more exclusive because there are fewer lodges. The lion pride in that area is known as the “Ololo’s”. It is believed they are offspring from the Marsh Pride which was featured on Planet Earth.In this photo they had just been chased by a large bull elephant who was not happy they were in his grassy feeding area.Once the clouds started to break, the sun shone on their chests and you can see just how majestic the king of beasts is.
Male Lion Steals Some FoodOn a rainy morning in the Masai Mara, we were watching some male lions sleeping. Suddenly one of them took off and we followed him. He saw a Thompson Gazelle birth a calf and the calf never got up…we presumed it was still born.He quickly chased away the vultures and took the baby for himself. His brothers went running after him but he was not interested in sharing his kill.Lions are opportunists and if there is an opportunity to eat, they will take it.
Male Lion Being LazyThis large golden male lion was sleeping and rolled over upside down. He was feeling lazy and stuck out his tongue for a big yawn.
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