2011-08-22 – Masai Mara G.R.

After a quiet day yesterday, this morning we found again the female Caracal. She was walking on her own clearly going somewhere. Upon reaching a small patch of croton bushes she called out for her cubs. They came running from somewhere, and they started playing like crazy. It was amazing to see them chase each other at lightning speed, or leap in the air grabbing each other. They sometimes returned to their mother for some grooming, until they were off again to play. Amazing to watch and incredibly difficult to photograph, especially as my 600mm lens broke its autofocus a few days ago. In the evening, after a heavy rain and wind, we found them all cuddled up in a patch of grass, and as the light rapidly faded, they began playing again, climbing bushes, biting fallen branches and more and more stalking and chasing each other. The privilege of being alone watching such a rare and elusive animal behaving so naturally and beautifully was just unforgettable.