The sweetest moment that left everyone on the safari vehicle with smiles as wide as the reserve!
Limpopo, South Africa (17 June 2026) – Guests and a ranger on a game drive at Mabula Private Game Reserve were recently treated to an incredibly special sighting, and a cause for celebration – a new litter of cheetah cubs is roaming the plains!
A guest on board the safari vehicle captured the moment in real time. As sweet as the cubs themselves was the reaction of the ranger who spotted them for the first time.
“There are sightings, and then there are moments that stay with you forever…” the reserve shared. “For our guides and conservation team, the excitement was impossible to contain.”
The story behind the new litter – and every cheetah that roams the reserve – is meaningful.
The reserve is involved with the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Cheetah Metapopulation Project, which aims to reintroduce cheetahs into areas where they had previously disappeared due to conflict, habitat loss, and shrinking ranges.
More than a decade ago in 2011, Mabula welcomed its first cheetahs onto the reserve and it has been closely involved in research and monitoring ever since.
“Every cheetah on our reserve is collared to study their movements, prey preferences, hunting habits, and survival, and the findings contribute to broader conservation knowledge across the region.” shares the reserve.
Just last year, it welcomed four new cheetahs to the plains under the guidance of the EWT. One of them was a young female named Q – affectionately called the Queen of Mabula. She is the very same mama cub spotted with her new litter in the video above!
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“Their arrival strengthens genetic diversity in the reserve, and continues the legacy of Mabula’s late matriarch, the Ukulima female, whose lineage helped repopulate reserves across southern Africa.” the reserve shares.
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