Long and slow mornings are perfect ones for playing. Baby big cats tend to be adorable in almost any situation they find themselves in, but this mother and cub pair were even cuter than normal.
Kayla du Toit spotted them in the long grass as they wrestled and played together without a care in the world. They weren’t under threat and they weren’t going hungry, so they had the time just to enjoy the world around them in an idyllic scene.
Paradise In The Long Grass
There are plenty of misfortunes that can befall a young animal in the wild. Small size and inexperience makes them easy prey for others as they can’t fight back against them, and they are reliant on their parents for both protection and food.
But under the supervision of their parents, they tend to be far safer, and they can frolic with abandon in the cool long grass. It appeared that this leopard only had the one cub, so she could give it her full attention as they enjoyed a carefree day.
The two of them seemed to be having an ideal time, rolling around in the grass and playing their games. The cub was taking immense joy in the world around it as it wrestled with its mom, climbing all over her and excitedly spinning around itself.
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It’s A Good Day For Learning
Their play was carefree and joyful, but also vital for the cub’s long-term development, both physically and mentally. Leopards might live more solitary lifestyles than other big cats, but they still need to learn how to interact with others of their kind.
As well as learning the finer points of leopard behavior through experience, this was also an opportunity for the cub to start building up the muscles and skills it will require to live alone in the wild.
Honing hunting instincts, learning stealth, and growing stronger were all benefits to this harmless wrestling. Soon the cub would be accompanying its mother on hunts and putting these skills to the test in more serious scenarios.
Every Day’s A School Day
As well as learning the typical lessons that big cats learn, this leopard cub had the added requirement of learning how to climb and move in trees. Other big cats can climb under the right circumstances, but leopards are the most proficient at this.
Subtle differences in physiology, strong shoulders and front legs, make this easier for leopards than other big cats. Lions can climb as well, but they are heavier and their strength isn’t as focused in the same part of their bodies.
The tree this leopard was learning in was only small, but that added an extra challenge as the thin branches bowed under the adult leopard’s weight and threw the cub back down to the ground.
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Further To Go
Although it was clearly learning quickly, this leopard cub was still only young and it had a lot further to go before it would be able to survive alone in the wild. It had time to learn, and it would appear that its mom was doing a great job raising it.
They ran off together behind some large bushes where the camera couldn’t follow them, no doubt to continue their games. More healthy leopard cubs are always a good sign with their overall population in decline.