I have been visiting South Africa’s wild places for all my 40+ years, and yet there’s still many of their treasures I am yet to see. Following our September visit to the Kruger National Park I can now finally tick my first ever encounter with a leopard cub! We found the little one lazily watching the passing vehicles from a rocky outcrop along the main road between Tshokwane and Skukuza.
What luck!
Leopard cub (photo by Joubert)
Leopard cub in a rocky outcrop between Tshokwane and Skukuza
Leopard cub in a rocky outcrop between Tshokwane and Skukuza
Leopard cub in a rocky outcrop between Tshokwane and Skukuza
DeWetsWild 
Tog te oulik pa!
Isn’t it just great to get firsts? Makes one feel special… and a little more alive, doesn’t it? 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was such a memorable event, AJ. Better than winning the lottery.
LikeLike
Wonderful shots of the cub. I hope he is safe, not to be captured.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Miriam. At least we know in Kruger he should be safe from human hands.
LikeLike
I’m glad to hear that. Thank you for letting me know.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That must have been such an exciting moment! Wow! I’ve done many, many safaris but never spotted a leopard cub. Such a great spot! Fingers crossed for my next visit to Kruger and Hluhluwe in February. Will share the photos on my blog as well 🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
We were very, very excited and I really hope you will be as lucky!
LikeLike
Dis nou ‘n groot bonus of geluk wat jul getref het. Luiperd se kind is mos maar sku vir mense en veral daglig ook. Sjoe dis steeds ongelooflik gelukkig.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ons het regtig van oor tot oor geglimlag, Ineke.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful. The cub looks totally comfy and relaxed, which is great to see.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a special encounter, Carol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool capture. And congratulations 😀 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Cee!
LikeLike
That’s a brilliant sighting, Dries. Joubert’s photo is superb. Obviously following in dad’s footsteps. 😃👏🏻
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pretty soon he’ll be handling all the blog’s photos, Sylvia. Then I’ll just be needed to steer the car…
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is awesome! Leopards are not good about showing their young to the tourists!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope I won’t have to wait another 40 years before seeing another leopard cub, Helen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure you won’t When you retire you will have more opportunity 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of my gosh! How lucky!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know, right!?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dis fantasties!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dink ons ook, dankie Aletta!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, brilliant!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We thought so too, Sue!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a little gem! Well spotted, in more ways than one,
LikeLike
We’ll remember this encounter for a long, long time.
LikeLike
How exciting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We were out of our skins with excitement!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A rare sight! Congratulation! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
We were very pleased, Len
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sharp spotting! That cub couldn’t have been easy to see – especially if you were first on the scene. It shows the value of driving slowly and keeping your eyes peeled for anything unusual.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spot on, Anne. In our experience the slower you drive the more you will see. Definitely.
LikeLike
What an exciting moment for you and your family! Congratulations!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
We felt truly blessed, Takami.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good find! It’s like me when I find a new bird! I can just imagine that the parents of the leopard must be not very far from it. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Indeed, H.J., the mom was lying very close, just behind the rock and for the most part out of sight. Leopard males take no interest in raising their offspring, that job falls squarely and only on the females.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh wow. Well spotted 😄, Dries. How exciting.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Tracy!
LikeLiked by 1 person