A young cheetah looks back over its shoulder. Cheetahs are weaned at the age of six months, but usually stay with their mother for some time after that. After 17 to 20 months, the mother can have another litter, so that often marks the end of the time of the youngster with the mother. Although young cheetahs from as young as six months go after hares or young antilopes, they often are only able to bring down a kill on their own when they’re 15 months or older. The odds for cheetah cubs to survive into adulthood are not so good. Lions are major predators of juveniles. This particular young cheetah was left to fend for itself for just one day when it was killed by predators…
Tag: pilanesberg
What’s up folks?
A group of impalas all looking in the same direction. We do too. Every now and then one snorts. We try to see what they are seeing, hearing or smelling. Then they all turn and run away. Something must have been there … but unfortunately in the thick bush we were unable to find out what. Another “invisible leopard” sighting…
Tree squirrel
Safari guides are generally not very impressed if we spot a tree squirrel. But we happen to like these cute animals. So even though we had hoped to find a leopard hiding under this bridge, we were happy to see the squirrel instead!
Citrus swallowtail
A last remembrance of summer before we head into winter territory…
Looking back…
A kudu bull looking back over his shoulder before he disappears into the bushes.
Natal spurfowl
Natal spurfowls live in pairs or in groups of up to ten birds. They fly when scared, but spend most of their time on the ground looking for insects and seeds.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie
Three small Natal spurfowl chicks. So fluffy and adorable!
The unpopular jackal
For the farming community in South Africa, jackals are a costly nuisance, as they kill sheep that are an important agricultural livestock. For a long time, bounties were paid for every hunted jackal. However, whether this really helped to keep the population in check is unclear. According to some, killing a jackal does no more than giving space to two or more jackals who will fight for the territory, and kill even more sheep in the process. I’m not a farmer, and for me seeing a jackal or hearing it in the night is an exciting event. Taking photos of the jackals in my neighborhood has so far been unsuccesful, so here is one from Pilanesberg National Park.
Dawn at the waterhole
Winter is coming, they say. In Pilanesberg the mornings are becoming chilly, with mist that forms over bodies of water like this waterhole. The Egyptian geese are just waking up and arranging their feathers. It’s going to be a lovely day!
Awesome wonder 