Safari-goer Barry Smith and his son had barely begun their morning drive from Crocodile Bridge Camp when fate presented them with an unforgettable sighting. Just minutes down the road along the S28, they saw three wild dogs behaving strangely.
They were alert, focused, and stalking something in the tall grass. The Smiths immediately recognized them from the previous night, when they had followed the same pack down the main road. But this morning, those wild dogs had new targets in sight.
A Dream Sighted, A Nightmare Unfolds
The Smiths had been hoping for one thing above all on this trip: a glimpse of the legendary “supermom” cheetah who had managed the near-impossible task of raising three cubs to a healthy, mobile age. Incredibly, there she was, standing tall with her trio of cubs in a tense standoff with the wild dogs.
That magical moment of joy was quickly shadowed by dread though when they realized the danger the family was in. The dogs circled slowly, sizing up the cheetahs, perhaps hoping to separate a cub from its mother.
A Mother’s Calm in the Chaos
Though outnumbered and outsized, the cheetah mother remained composed. She stood firm, not aggressive, but ready.
Her posture, calm yet assertive, seemed to throw off the dogs. Meanwhile, the cubs, clearly aware of the danger, stayed close behind her.
For a few heart-stopping minutes, the two predator species locked eyes in an uneasy standoff. Barry later remarked how his heart “stood still”, a feeling familiar to anyone who has watched nature teeter on the edge of disaster.
When Predators Clash
Encounters between wild dogs and cheetahs are not uncommon in regions like Kruger where predator territories overlap. Wild dogs, known for their stamina and cooperative hunting strategies, pose a real threat to cheetah cubs.
Cheetahs, by contrast, are solitary and more lightly built, depending on speed over strength, but when it comes to protecting her young, even a cheetah can become an immovable force. The wild dogs, perhaps not expecting such bold defiance, eventually backed down and wandered off.
A Memory Etched in the Heart
In the end, the cheetahs were safe. The cubs remained unharmed, and their mother, unwavering in her stance, had protected her family with nothing but sheer nerve and presence.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
For Barry and his son, this wasn’t just a great sighting, it was the kind of moment that sears itself into memory. Barry recounted the emotions they felt once they knew the family was safe.
“We breathed such a sigh of relief when it was all over”. Each day afterwards, they searched for the cheetah family and spotted them once more in a distant thicket, but it was that first encounter, raw, real, and powerful, that would stay with them forever.
The Quiet Strength of Cheetah Mothers
Raising cubs in the wild is never easy, but cheetah mothers face a unique uphill battle. With few defences against stronger predators and high cub mortality rates, it’s estimated that only about 5% of cheetah cubs reach adulthood in the wild.
Seeing a mother with three healthy cubs is not only rare, it’s a testament to her skill, instinct, and resilience. This “supermom” cheetah proved that bravery doesn’t always roar, sometimes, it just refuses to back down.
In the unpredictable world of the African bush, survival depends not just on strength, but on strategy, courage, and heart. This remarkable cheetah mother showed that even in the face of danger, fierce devotion can outmatch the odds.
