Afternoon Playtime Size:16in x 24in

Afternoon Playtime Size:16in x 24inMaasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. This is one of our all time favorite cheetah mothers, a female that we named Shakira in 2008. At the time we were filming Big Cat Live for the BBC and Shakira had given birth to a litter of six cubs not far from the Governors Camp airstrip. We have a stone cottage at Governors Camp in the heart of Marsh Pride territory the pride of lions we have been following since 1977. Cheetahs often struggle to raise their cubs

This was one of their favorite haunts

their beautiful spotted coat merging perfectly with the sunlight and shadows

The beautiful and intricate tapestry of a tree's branches

Bwindi National Park

The Coke’s Hartebeest at dusk

so large and imposing yet fragile

A giraffe ambles effortlessly across the open plains

This little male cheetah  cub called Toto (meaning ‘baby’ or ‘little one’) was the only surviving cub in its mother’s litter

and Lake Elmenteita

and challenged the spotted hyenas who inevitably followed as she searched for prey

all the days of our life

"Gathering of the Giants