IT wasdrizzlinganda coldwindwasblowing in the
MasaiMaraNationalReserve in Kenya.Twonaughty
cheetah cubswereplayingaroundtheirmother.They
pounced on herandstruckherwiththeirpaws,then
followed a “hitandrun”game.
“Theirmother,named Malaika,wasan iconic“super-
mom”andshe enjoyedtheirplayfulfight thoughshe was
alert”,saidPadmanabhanNarayanan, a wildlife photo-
grapher based in Doha, Qatar,whofollowedthe mother
andhertwomalecubswithhis camerafor a weekin
November2017.Malaikawasquitea famous cheetah.
Shehada strikinggait,withsparklingeyesandwas
alwayscalm,composed andalert.Touristsandwildlife
photographerswouldseekher out.Theguideshadmany
talesto tell abouther daringexploits, her skillin hunting,
her shrewdnessandthe wayshe protectedher cubs,Dogo
andKigumba, frompredatorssuchas lionsandhyenas.
WhenNarayanansawMalaikafor thefirst time,she
wasjust10 yearsold andthe twomalecubswere oneyear
andfourmonths old.Unfortunately,Malaikais no more.
Thespecifics of her deathstillremain a mystery, but she is
believedto havebeenattackedandeatenby crocodilesin
theOloreOrokriverin March2018.Or shemayhave
drownedwhilecrossing the river.Narayanan sayshe will
visitMasaiMaraagainto observethe cubs.Theywillbe
morethanthreeyearsold nowandleading an independ-
ent life.
It is a Herculean taskfor cheetahsto protecttheir
cubsduringthefirst fourmonths.Althoughthe cubsare
keptin a secretplace,predators oftenintrude.Cubsmay
dieof diseasestooor theymaybe abandonedby the
mother. Thecheetah’scoatis in greatdemandandcom-
mands highprices,whichencourages poaching.
Cheetah huntsfascinateNarayanan. It is moredra-A wildlifephotographerspenta weekonthetrailofa cheetah
namedMalaikaandhertwocubsinMasaiMaraandcame
awaywithsomestunningvisuals.
TextbyG.SHAHEEDandphotographsbyPADMANABHANNARAYANANDOGO ANDKIGUMBAin anaffectionate moment.