Series 2 cat spotlight: Kea and Bo

By wildlife cinematographer Reatile Schulte to Brinke

Image above: Female cheetah Pobe has two young cubs and must hunt daily to provide enough food for them.

I had been following female cheetah Pobe for two years, spending more time with her than I spent with most humans.

these two were in the best paws possible

I remember the sunny, green day that I first witnessed her new cubs Kea and Bo, extremely shy and nowhere near as brave and confident as they would turn out to be. Knowing that Pobe had already previously raised her last cub, Neelo, to adulthood, I knew that these two were in the best paws possible.

When we met them in series two of Big Cats 24/7, Kea and Bo were at the stage in their life where they shared many similarities with adolescent children. Both were very playful and soaking up life experiences like a sponge.

Image above: For cheetah cubs Kea and Bo, playtime allows them to them practise their future hunting skills.

Kea even once put her paw on the siderail of my vehicle

Kea and Bo would very inquisitively come directly to my filming truck to stare and ask me what I’m up to. Kea even once put her paw on the siderail of my vehicle, which made me wonder if spending so much time with these cats had made them able to recognise me. Just like children, they sometimes required the gentle reprimand of a raised voice to let them know when they were breaking the rules.

Image above: Wildlife cinematographer Reatile ‘Rea’ Schulte to Brinke follows Pobe and her young family as they search for a meal.

The youth period for Kea and Bo is one of experimentation under the watchful eye of their super-mum, Pobe.

The youth period for Kea and Bo is one of experimentation

I witnessed them take a significant interest in zebras, perhaps assuming such a large animal would provide sufficient food for weeks on end. Unfortunately, that is not how it works in the law of the jungle. Zebras are typically too large even for a coalition of several adult male cheetahs to take down.

Kea and Bo were continuously chasing these zebras. The herd knew they were being chased by big cats, but it was in their best interest not to wait to confirm if these were harmless cheetahs or deadly lions and they fled regardless. This uninformed attempt at hunting was critical for the development of both Kea and Bo, teaching them what was prey and what wasn’t.

Image above: Cheetah cubs Kea and Bo must eat fast before scavengers arrive to claim the meal for themselves.

Adult cheetahs have relatively small teeth for a big cat, but as cubs their teeth are even smaller - needle-like baby teeth. Kea and Bo wouldn’t start developing their adult set until they were around 8 months old and without these sharp tools they constantly needed their mother’s help to prepare their food.

I was witnessing their next small step towards independence.

After Pobe had caught prey, the cubs would play impatiently while she opened the carcass, cutting through the skin and fur like a human mother cutting up food into bite-sized chunks for her toddlers. When the meal was ready the family would all eat together.

It was truly amazing to watch my adopted children Kea and Bo grow up and hit all the milestones that a cheetah parent would be proud of - first solid meal, first chasing and play tackling each other, first attempt at a hunt. With each one, I was witnessing their next small step towards independence.