Queen Kaboso – as she was fondly remembered, had given birth in December 2021. In the hopes that her movements would lead us to view her new cub, we started to follow her as she headed out for her morning hunt. The Mara at that specific time was experiencing heavy rains and most rivers were full. As she approached the riverbed, we realized that she wanted to cross. Water ran high and in anticipation of her cross, my guide Simon was quick to position the car in the river. She first crossed cautiously to the point where she felt the river was too deep and then forced to project herself across to dry land.

By Kunal D Shah in aid of The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust