December and January are famous in the South African bush for the birthing period. Impala, wildebeest, hartebeest and warthogs are just a handful of the herbivores that give birth at this time of year. This baby boom period is how the herbivores ensure their success. Over 50% of the young will fall prey to predators. Recently I drove to an open plains and stopped, taking in the magnificent scene. Zebra, impala, blue wildebeest and warthogs all with their young grazing on the

It has now been six months since we started working to familiarise a female leopard and her 3 cubs with game drive vehicles. All three cubs are still alive and doing well; two males and a female. Their mother has done a fantastic job in rearing, feeding and protecting them. I have been fortunate to have spent a great deal of time with the four of them and have watched the cubs grow and develop unique personalities. At first the female seemed to use a handful of den sites (we

The Waterberg, South Africa, is not famous for leopard sightings. Sightings are generally few and even then are generally just a blur of yellow and spots. Before working in the Marekele National Park I worked for two and a half years on another reserve in the Waterberg. During that time I saw two leopards dashing across the road. We are very lucky in the Marakele to have a handful of leopards that are relaxed around the vehicles. About three months ago a tiny leopard cub was