Leopard Cubs: Blue Eyed Babies at 5 Weeks

Shot at Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa in July 2012 with the Canon 1D Mark IV, 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f/4 and 70-200 f/2.8 II with 1.4x TC III

It's extremely difficult to see leopard cubs in the wild because Moms don't stay put and move freely between camps in order to follow food sources and to avoid predators. Anyway, I had dropped everything to fly to Mala Mala Game Reserve in Sabi Sands as quickly as I could after hearing about the Kikilezii leopard's new cubs. Unfortunately, I only had a brief visit with Kiki's one remaining cub by the time I arrived in camp. But, I was blessed with an unexpected opportunity which turned out to be a home run - seeing these adorable blue eyed leopard twins tucked away in a rocky den which was very close to a service road. Heart be still. I dedicated my 10 day visit to these cubs and fortunately, nobody used this remote road so I had them mostly to myself. I took frequent breaks to let the cubs rest and spent the rest of my time hanging out with frisky wild dog puppies. Anyway, this is my most favorite leopard cubs sighting of all times because leopard cubs have so much personality at this age, not to much the most expressive cutest faces.