Mother leopard plays with her cub for 4 minutes!

Yesterday we had an incredible sighting after following Basile back to her den site after a feed. As she had probably been away for a while, her single cub was extremely happy to see her and spent a long time playing with her, 'attacking' her and stalking her tail! There are very few precious moments like these and we were blessed to capture their interaction on film.

[@chrischampion2709]

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL INTERACTION.THANK YOU.

[@falanajerido875]

She is beautiful and the cubs vrry observant

[@user-wr5cn6kw7j]

Precious moments for these two❤❤❤

[@chrischampion2709]

THIS IS WHAT MAKES LIFE GOOD.

[@andramariemueller5210]

So sweet 🥰

[@Montecristo1805]

Frisky playful cub

[@alexrose4687]

I love video like this. Thanks

[@collew3226]

❤ u mama! It ain’t easy out there but you’re a real one ❤❤ LOVE her eye contact she knows damn well y’all watching her lol

[@lindamusso4437]

Excellent video .. Txs

[@collew3226]

1:30 omg I’d only this were a still photo I’d treasure it forever!

[@collew3226]

1:09 the perfection of feline mama on bébé scruff!

[@fillfinish7302]

Nice choice of music

[@luvmyaussie9561]

Extraordinary

[@collew3226]

0:27 the millisecond she spotted y’all loving on her bubs

[@Mondibaby]

Safari gold!

[@Mike-Poyraz]

Çok tatlı ama bunlar yaa😊

[@kirill_dreamer74]

Leopard relax video

[@private4918]

Yes, but nothing out of the ordinary out there. Common, or ordinary, even when rangers/tourists in a certain area don't see it every day. Look at video from the next game reserve over. Lion cubs play like that all the time with their brothers and sisters. In this case, no siblings here. They might become enemies when the cubs is a teenager and the mother wants to mate again. Tigers are like that too.

[@kirill_dreamer74]

There were 2 leopard brothers in Mala Mala who stayed together for quite a long time btw. Yes, but mothers are often more tolerant towards their own offspring compared to unrelated leopards.

[@private4918]

@@kirill_dreamer74 Interesting about the brother leopards. They grew up together and probably took their time gaining enough "confidence" to separate. I don't know of any studies about mothers and daughters being "often more tolerant." Just say so if YOU do. For some time, this could, and probably might be true, but once the mother wants to mate again .... They definitely can just part company un unfriendly terms, even without seriously fighting/injuring each other. But they might fight enough for one to leave the other's "territory." Can be pretty hostile. But consider general "rules" compared to exceptions, anomalies, and stuff that happens MORE than exceptions BUT is still not the usual. Young cheetahs might stay together for a period of time to really fine-tune the hunting skills, maybe even after the mother has abandoned them to mate again. But, cheetahs are really NOT "social cats" like lions, right? Many people in these threads JUST CANNOT understand how male lions DO sometimes tolerate and "accept" the cubs of other males. Well, right now, Gijima males and Southern/Selati pride daughters. HB and Ginger (Matimba) never hurt Junior from the Ottawa pride.

[@kirill_dreamer74]

​@@private4918Yeah I remember Nguvu once adopted a young teenager lioness when he settled in Mangheni pride. Sad he is gone. Thanks for your feedback. Was useful.