Tanzania 2018 - Big Cats

We were really lucky and saw our first big cats on Day 1 of our travels - a real treat.

The photos on this page are not in chronological order but they are all of big cats!

There is an argument that Cheetahs are not "true" cats in that they don't have retractable claws, stong jaws or night vision. I think they exhibit enough cat-like behaviour to include them here.

We spent one lovely afternoon with a mum cheetah and her two cubs - Kevin estimated that they would be about 9 months old so still young enough to be really cute.

We were hoping that mum would decide to hunt while we were watching but that didn't happen. It was still wonderful just to sit and be with these lovely animals.

leopard

This leopard was leaping from one branch of his tree to another - basically from his sleeping branch to his larder where he had three kills stashed away.

lion

Another day, another lion up a tree!

lions

The rest of the afternoon drive was spent with the lovely lion cubs who were having lessons in climbing trees and killing things. They were wonderful to watch.

As it started to get towards dusk, one by one the cubs went and sat with the lionesses - obviously lessons were over for the time being and it was time to rest. Time for us to say goodbye and head back to camp.

lion

Just when we were feeling sad that we wouldn't see lion in the wild for quite a while, we saw this pride (about 20) of mums and cubs, some tiny ones, on the way to the airport.

Tanzania March 2018 - Big Cats
As mentioned on Page 1, I am splitting the photos by type of animal this time around. Please click on the following links to see the page you'd like to view:
Big Cats	Zebras and Giraffes	Elephants
Antelopes and Wildebeest	Birds	Warthogs and Hyenas
Hippos & Buffalo	Other Wildlife	Mini Videos
We were really lucky and saw our first big cats on Day 1 of our travels - a real treat. The photos on this page are not in chronological order but they are all of big cats! There is an argument that Cheetahs are not "true" cats in that they don't have retractable claws, stong jaws or night vision. I think they exhibit enough cat-like behaviour to include them here.


		The first cheetah we came across were these two brothers enjoying their breakfast of baby wildebeest. They didn't leave much but the vultures descended once the cheetah walked away. They were very full with tummies like footballs.
There's nothing like a brotherly after-breakfast wash!	The following day we also saw a cheetah. This one was well hidden in the grass but kindly popped up for a look around while we were near her.
		We saw a lot of lions on the second day - no complaints from us!!



The lion on the left was my favourite male - very hairy main, he was so handsome!

		The lion on the immediate left looks like he's been in a bit of a battle.


		Whoever would have thought we'd have been privileged enough to see lions climbing a tree. Only this lioness managed it - the other two played at the bottom for a while and the male just did his own thing.
	These two decided a fallen tree was quite high enough so settled for that.




We spent one lovely afternoon with a mum cheetah and her two cubs - Kevin estimated that they would be about 9 months old so still young enough to be really cute.



		We were hoping that mum would decide to hunt while we were watching but that didn't happen. It was still wonderful just to sit and be with these lovely animals.
Day 4 (already) and we came across this beautiful sleepy lion. He was fast asleep but I dare say if we'd ventured out of the jeep we would have found out otherwise!
This leopard was leaping from one branch of his tree to another - basically from his sleeping branch to his larder where he had three kills stashed away.

	We watched two lionesses work together to split a wildebeest herd. One flanked the herd and the other one gave chase. The end result was wildebeest for the pride of 15-20 lionesses and cubs. The cubs came running when called - they must have been hungry. Kevin estimated the cubs we saw to be about a year old.

Feast time
	When feeding was over, the cubs just wanted to play.
More tree climbing lions. We'd not seen this behaviour before so made up for that on this holiday by seeing on two separate occasions.		Another day, another lion up a tree!
Rock climbing lions instead of tree climbing lions for a change.
		This lioness worked with another to bring down a wildebeest. To get there this one walked right past our truck so nice and close. No photos of the kill because it was too far away but the two lionesses looked like they were celebrating their kill and playing with it like a domestic cat with a mouse.


	Day 7 was "Leopard Day" - we saw an amazing seven leopards including a mum and cub (about 4-5 months old), two separate males and another mum with two tiny cubs (about 2 months old). The first three photos are of mum and cub who came down from their tree and mum went hunting. We heard a call on the radio about an hour after we had left them to say she'd been successful so it seems they would have been well fed that day.
		Mum getting ready to come down
		Cub descending tree
Seconds later, he could hardly be seen in the long grass.	Hunting mode
How anybody spotted this leopard and her tiny cubs hidden in the trees on the rocks I don't know but she'd been monitored for a little while so perhaps "they" just knew she'd be there.
	A little while later, the cubs having hidden, Mum came out onto a more visible position so easier to photograph.
The only other cat we saw on Day 7 was this cheetah - keeping a lookout for danger and food. It seems she saw neither because moments after this photo, she laid down to sleep.
		The highlight of the morning game drive on Day 8 was this pride of lions. 2 lionesses, 5 cubs and a male - lovely to see.

	If I hide behind here, that human with the clicky thing might not see me.

Surveying the surroundings while the cubs scampered across	It's tiring being a cub!	Settling down
Seems Mum gets the job of entertaining the kids whatever the species!
		Dad greeted his females and cubs then walked over to another pile of rocks for some peace and quiet. He came past our van to get there so ideal for a great close up.

Such a handsome beast!	We managed to come across another couple of male lions later in the same game drive so a good drive for seeing big cats!
The afternoon drive also brought a lion - this big male. He stayed with us for a while after coming down from his rock and deciding to sit about four feet from our truck.
	He seemed very relaxed with us.


		When he got up, he only went a few yards away and starting licking and rolling in some zebra dung. Not sure why but think it might be to camouflage his scent as he fancied zebra for dinner (there were quite a few around).


	Our final day and we enjoyed seeing these two cheetah brothers during the morning drive.



Our final afternoon game drive and we visited with the leopard mum. She had a kill up a local tree, had clearly enjoyed something to eat and was taking some time away from the cubs who, I hope, were safely hidden away in the rocks where we'd seen them earlier.

	The rest of the afternoon drive was spent with the lovely lion cubs who were having lessons in climbing trees and killing things. They were wonderful to watch.
	Watch me first then try for yourself.

Look Mum, I'm getting there!

	Although they looked fierce, their claws were in they were playing very nicely with each other. One of the cubs was a real mischief and couldn't resist batting her brother and sisters every time she passed one of them.

	As it started to get towards dusk, one by one the cubs went and sat with the lionesses - obviously lessons were over for the time being and it was time to rest. Time for us to say goodbye and head back to camp. Just when we were feeling sad that we wouldn't see lion in the wild for quite a while, we saw this pride (about 20) of mums and cubs, some tiny ones, on the way to the airport.

		We had to get to the airport on time (it's a long way to walk back to the UK) so reluctantly said goodbye and left them in peace.
Big Cats	Zebras and Giraffes	Elephants
Antelopes and Wildebeest	Birds	Warthogs and Hyenas
Hippos & Buffalo	Other Wildlife	Mini Videos
Back to Holiday index	2018 Tanzania main page	Back to front page