Unlocking Mountain Zebra

[PJL]

Squirrels!

Again batties and an aardwolf

Squirrels indeed!

Great squirrel pic, Peej!

Those wildebeest really look ridiculous!

Is this the Mountain Aardwolf Park?

I say cheetah!

The wildebeest act ridiculous as well
Visiting in winter time really does seem to help with the aardwolf sightings... some days are better than others but late afternoon/evening they are often out and about

Great lion sighting...they were all very curious about the cars!

And lots of other lovely sightings. You really got some great pics.

Thanks Flutts, yes the lion were very curious... and a bit scared to be honest

[Klipspringer]

These lions are spread out on the rock just to make a good scenery photo!

Some more aardwolf magic

[PJL]

These lions are spread out on the rock just to make a good scenery photo!

Some more aardwolf magic

Thanks Klipspringer

[PJL]

I say cheetah!

Cheetah it was!

A couple of small lumps gave these 2 youngsters away



We were very excited as there really aren't many cheetah in the park at the moment. We've been lucky to see some youngsters on a previous trip but our cheetah expectations in MZ are very low due to the low numbers and huge areas they can disappear into.

Turning around and driving in their direction a bigger lump came into view - it was a mom and her 2 youngsters. We figured out later this is Angela and her 2 cubs which are now 8 months old





She was very interested in a herd of springbok further up the road, and with the youngsters observing from a distance we were sure she was in hunting mode. We settled in for the wait, and whilst wondering how long it might take another aarwolf popped out



The aardwolf caught sight of the cheetah and had a huge fright before bounding off at speed. We wondered if it would spook the springbok but they didn't seem too concerned.

Every so often Angela would move a bit further forwards



Whilst the kids watched on from a distance

[PJL]

This process of stalking and then sitting still continued for quite some time. Every so often the youngsters moved as well.













The springbok seemed totally oblivious to their danger - sometimes walking closer to the cheetah, but their meanderings then took them further away. We weren't entirely sure where to park because we didn't want to disturb the springbok and ruin her chances, but we managed to find a spot that was ahead of the cheetah without disturbing the springbok.

We had been waiting for about 50 minutes and the sun was setting over the cats

[PJL]

We were running out of time to see any action before we needed to get to the exit gate. But then some young springbok started chasing each other around... across the road, away from the cheetah and finally straight back in her direction!! This had to be the moment... they came within a few hundred metres of Angela before turning and running. She took a moment to decide but then went for them









It was breathtaking to watch the action, but I don't think she was travelling as fast as some cheetah do in other places. The ground in MZ is full of rocks and stones, so running at all must be difficult

In the end she just missed out. It seemed she had her attention fixed on one of the small springbok whereas if she had perhaps gone for one of the adults she probably would have caught one.

Here's a video of the chase - most of it was H videoing which we were very impressed with

phpBB [video]

One of the youngsters had gone charging off after mom, whilst the other followed a bit slower behind



Very quickly they were all out of view and we had to make a sharp exit for the gate. There was just time to get a pic of the moon rising on our way out

[Richprins]

Patience paid off there, Peej...what a trip!

[Peter Betts]

Lovely Cheetah moments Pete..wish SANParks wouldnt collar them though ..really spoils it for everyone but mainly undignifies the poor Cheetah

[Lisbeth]

What a pity! She was a bit too far away...or the springboks were You did manage some brilliant shots though and D's video is excellent too

[Richprins]

They do tend to pre-focus on one target before starting, I think, which makes sense percentage-wise instead of getting FOMO?