Five fluffy surprises: A remarkable cheetah discovery at Marataba Game Reserve

Marataba is built on the foundation of conservation and helping species flourish, especially endangered ones. This being said we are incredibly proud of our cheetah population in the park. While cheetahs typically thrive in open, flat grasslands as depicted in many documentaries, our cheetahs have adapted remarkably well to Marataba’s mountainous, thickly vegetated environment.

Most of our cheetah sightings involve two dominant males who patrol the park as their exclusive territory. The females are solitary, and sightings of them are quite rare. After not seeing one particular female for about eight months, we assumed she must have moved to Marakele, over the mountain. However, on September 12th , something extraordinary happened.

Our guides Nienke and Moses were heading out for their afternoon game drive from Mountain Lodge when Nienke spotted fresh tracks on the road — no more than half an hour old. She stopped the vehicle to investigate more closely. The guests were curious about what had captured her attention so intently. She could hardly believe what she was seeing, especially in this extremely mountainous and thick area known for its lion activity. Finally, she turned to her guests and said, “These are cheetah tracks — not just one individual, but a female with many smaller tracks around!”

Moses pulled up behind her and confirmed her finding. As they followed the tracks leading down the road, anticipation building, suddenly the female cheetah crossed right in front of them — followed by five cubs! The family was understandably wary of the vehicle, likely their first encounter with such an object, and kept their distance while using the bushes for cover. The guides and guests managed to count the cubs by spotting their distinctive white fluffy backs, indicating they were around three months old. It was an incredible moment; we had all been worried about this female’s long absence, only to discover her healthy and proudly showing off her third litter of cubs.

While we’re uncertain where she had been denning the cubs, now that they’re old enough, she can move them to other safe locations. Over the following days, she travelled through the park before settling in Marataba’s open plains, where she’s actively hunting. She’s been impressively successful, making a kill every three days — mostly impala or zebra. Some of our fortunate guests have witnessed her in full flight during these hunts.

Recently, we’ve observed fascinating behaviour: after making a successful kill, the mother calls her cubs with high-pitched chirps and waits for them to “reenact” the kill before feeding. She only joins the feast after her cubs have started eating.

Currently, with the cubs now about four and a half months old, she appears to be staying put in the plains area — the perfect habitat for cheetahs, offering both openness and safety. The two dominant males also frequent this area during their regular territorial patrols, taking hunting opportunities when they arise. Our guide Kyle and his guests recently experienced a once-in-a-lifetime sighting: both males and the female with her cubs feeding together on an impala kill.

As we continue to see her regularly, we’re able to monitor the cubs’ growth. While initially challenging to determine their genders, particularly given their early shyness around vehicles, the cubs have now learned from their mother to remain relaxed in our presence. We’ve noticed they typically split into two groups — three together and two together — leading us to suspect we have two males and three females, though this still needs confirmation.

Viewing cheetahs at Marataba offers our guests a truly unique experience. Watching these magnificent cats move across the open plains with our dramatic mountains as a backdrop creates an unforgettable sight that belongs on everyone’s safari bucket list.