Thinus Delport and his family were lucky enough to see this leopard family outing as the big cats crossed the road moving towards Crocodile Bridge. The cubs were exceptionally young for the mother to be moving them, making this a really special sighting.
The family had been trying to spot leopards at the Kruger National Park that morning, with Thinus telling Latest Sightings his daughters were “convinced that there are no leopards in the Kruger, as neither of them had ever seen one”.
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It’s important to never give up hope while spotting for animals, especially notoriously elusive ones, as they could always be right around the corner, or better yet, sitting right there, perfectly camouflaged.
Stealthy Cats
Unlike lions, which have the strength and support to face any threats, and cheetahs, which have the speed to outrun threats, leopards are exceptionally good at hiding. Their stealth helps them to hunt, but also keeps them safe from competing predators that might try to scare them away.
The Delport family were only able to spot the leopard family as they were in a short traffic jam due to cars slowing down to observe a pride of lions, not knowing that there was another big cat so close.
Taking advantage of the vehicles being motionless, the leopard mother began the process of crossing the road.
Conscientious Cats
The mother stepped out in front of the cars first, as if to quickly survey the area and confirm it was safe for her cubs which were still hiding in the thicket at the side of the road.
After satisfying herself that the situation was an acceptable one, she returned to collect her cubs, and together the little family came out into the open.
She had two cubs with her, and they hurried across the road with their little legs moving quickly to match her speed, except for one which didn’t make it the whole way across.
First Steps
There’s no sad ending here though, and the mother was close enough to collect her wayward cub instantly. Thinus was excited because “you don’t often get to see a leopard mother relocate her cubs when they are still so young.”
These two little leopards are so small that their legs barely seem strong enough to hold them off the ground, and are likely only a few months old. It can take up to two years for them to become fully independent, but until then their mother must keep a close eye on them.
This one may have been panicking about keeping up with its mother, or it may have felt vulnerable in the big open space surrounded by cars. Its mother came to reunite it with its sibling quickly though, ensuring it wasn’t alone for long.
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A Happy Family
Together, the three leopards hurried to the other side of the road where they could stealthily slip back into the thickets there. Partly due to these skills at hiding, it’s unknown how many leopards are still living in the wild, but they are considered vulnerable by the IUCN, and their numbers are falling.
With these two leopard siblings having their mother to look after them, hopefully they’ll lead long and successful lives, and until then they definitely made the day for the Delport family, by offering such a rare and special sighting.