When the combined weight of knowledge from three veteran guides with over 100,000 game drives tells me a leopard has had her cubs within the last few days, I am inclined to believe them. The soft folds of fur near her tail confirm this as does her behaviour. Fig’s well documented pregnancy is over.
Of course babies are not just in the spotted creche, a Moniko Bush Camp mum has four tiny tots and if more adolescent animals are your metier, Tito is in magnificent form with her two mischievous charges for press box office please click here – the paper published only half of the story, the other more remarkable half will be revealed at the Even Wilder Night Out four charity lectures from 12th November at London/Dorking/Cheltenham/Buxton – last tickets available via this link.
Clearly knowing what is good for them, the five cheetah boys have returned from the cajoling and congestion of the Reserve and this morning killed a topi ten minutes from camp.
A recent social media post inquired whether an image of three leopards (Tito and brood) were in fact the Kabosa female with her sub-adults. This was a respectful question but wrong on many levels:
1. Whilst The Kabosa may have two same sexed offspring, Tito has a boy and a girl.
2. Tito is in the heart of Olare Motorogi Conservancy among fever trees, granite and rivers, not a thick euclea thicket in the Reserve.
3. There are only ever a sparse handful of 4WD vehicles with Tito not legions of them.
4. All three are tolerant and easy to access as off-road driving is permitted.
This morning a pair of new arrivals with a burgeoning backlog of safaris to their name returned to camp almost feverish: ‘This was magic’ they uttered …. more like witchcraft … but then again, it is Halloween.
