Survival and Continuity

The year 2023 has been a fantastic year for me. I have reached my goal: to photograph love and tell stories of wildlife behaviour. I was so lucky to witness so many opportunities.

I love to watch BBC wildlife documentaries, but I always skip the scenes where an animal attacks and kills another. I know it is a natural way for a survivor, but it makes me sad, and I avoid witnessing such scenes while I am photographing.

The big surprise came in November 2023, when I saw a mother cheetah with her cub wandering around in search of food. The interaction between the mother and her cub was so beautiful that I did not notice the harsh midday light or the heat. I took so many gorgeous shots, and I was delighted with what I got.

Suddenly, the mother stopped, and the cub did the same. She was watching a group of 6 Thompson gazelles grazing around 300m from where the cheetahs were. With no warning, the mother took off at high speed and began chasing the small herd of gazelles. A few seconds later, she caught one of the gazelles. All this happened so fast that I did not realize how close we were to the cheetah and her kill. I was devastated. Looking at the gazelle's eyes, I started to cry. All I could hear was my driver screaming at me, saying, "Lina, photograph. Dam! Lina, photograph." With my hand shaking and my blurry eyes full of tears, I started to take photos with no enthusiasm. 

After the mother killed the gazelle, her cub started to imitate her. She was teaching her cub how to kill and survive.

Then I realized, even though the scene was so sad and difficult to watch, I was lucky to witness this moment of Joy, the cub's happiness, and her gratitude toward her mother for the food she provided. And I was privileged to be there and record the scene. Both shared a happy meal. I know the same scene will happen again and again, and if this cub makes it to adulthood, she will be a wonderful mom. It was, and will be, a beautiful love story to tell, even though it was so sad. 

The same day, an hour late, a few kilometres further, we witness a love story between two lions.

The female was screaming with satisfaction.

And the male was so proud of himself for the joy he gave his mate.