Africa Wild

2011-12-03 Gerty and her cubs Merty, Nertie and Zertie

So after leaving Flirty I drove south and bumped into a mass of cars about 22kms from Twee Rivieren (time was 18:10). You've already seen some pictures of this sighting taken by Dewi (date and location and stance look right), but here is a different perspective.
When I turned up there were already a lot of cars parked along the side of the road. After scanning around I found the head of a cheetah peaking over a small dune. In front and to the right of her were two big springboks....they were moving her way!

Dewi wrote:Gertie

Hoping that we would get a chase I parked up and waited. Not knowing where she would go it was hard to pick a good spot.
9 mins after I arrived she made her move. She immediately vanished into the bushes between us. To my amazement she emerged running parallel to the cars and went right past the window. I was lucky to get anything it happened so fast! But I was really pleased with a few of the shots.





After killing the springbok she rested for a bit and then started calling. As if by magic three wonderful cubs appeared on the ridge and came running down. They all started feeding.



Had I waited with Flirty for a few more minutes I would have probably missed the chase and the kill and arrived to the cubs feeding.
Knowing that this is Gertie and her cubs gives me a sense of wonder. Not knowing it at the time I saw Gertie, her daughter Flirty and her granddaughters all within the space of 30mins! A special day

2011-12-12 Smith & Smit
Near the south entrance to Dalkeith loop at 17:51
They were lying under a bush on the top of the dune. Just after sunset they moved to the very top of the dune and disappeared.

Left to right: Smith and Smit


Smith


Smit

2011-12-13 Elena
Near the south entrance to Dalkeith loops at 14:43.

I picked up Elena walking along the river. After a while she decided to cross the road and went up the dune.


She walked directly to the tree that Smith and Smit had been lying under the day before. She smelled around and then lay down under another near by bush.

2011-12-13 Smith & Smit
North entrance to 14th BH at 06:42 (this was before the sighting of Elena above...woops!)

They came over down from the short cut road across the river and then crossed the road infront of quite a few cars. They didn't hang around long and disappeared.

Smith


Smit

2011-12-15 Elena
North entrance to 14th Borehole at 10:03

She was on the top of the far river side She walked down into the river and started walking north. She covered about 3-4 kms checking out trees and every now and then watching some springbok. Eventually she crossed the road and went up and over the dune on the left.

2011-12-16 Nico
Auchterlonie at 08:21

He approached from the south, drank a bit and then walked up towards the picnic area. He disappeared away south again.



Already posted the side shots but including them here again.

2012-01-05 Durbyl and cubs Kallis, Botham, Sobers, Kapildev
Few 100m north of Kij Kij at 09:19.

They were all lying quite a way back on the eastern side of the road.


The cheetah standing up is Kapildev.

2012-01-07 Caster and surviving male cub.
Between Montrose and Batulama at 13:19.

Caster had just made a very fresh springbok kill (missed this one ). They were lying down and hadn't fed on it yet.

Caster is on the left (you can just about use this photo to identify Tina's sighting, it does work but its hard )


Cub is on the left walking.

2012-01-09 Dirty
Rooiputs just on the Botswana road north of entrance to the camp at 16:06.

Background
Female, born August 2008. Mother is Gertie, father is Harken. Is the sister to Flirty. She raise a single cub out of the den in 2012 (don't have more details yet). All her other litters were lost at very early stages.

She was resting under this tree. I didn't stay long as she didn't look like moving.

2012-01-10 Lisette and 2011 cubs Hanri, Monica, Corinne & No. 4
Just south of Kamqua picnic spot at 13:11

They were lying under a big tree on the west side of the road. A few km's further up the road was Tsamma and about 5kms south were 5 lions in the rover bed. I'm not surprised she didn't want to go anywhere!