I am behind with blogging as I was away for a long weekend and came home to a medical emergency with my aunt who was hospitalised during my absence. The ICU diagnosed her incorrectly as she was taken to a different hospital from our usual one and the doctors had none of her medical history. Anyhow, I discharged her yesterday as she was in a terrible state and she’s now recovering in her room at my house.
This poem came to mind for Lisa’s prompt from last Monday on d’Verse: https://dversepoets.com/2024/08/19/dverse-quadrille-monday-206-around-the-bend/
You can read Lisa’s poem here: https://tao-talk.com/2024/08/19/dverse-q206-royal-sisterhood/
Around the Bend
The dirt road stretches
Towards the distant horizon
What marvel lies beyond
The bend; long white fur
Catches the sunlight
Is it a honey badger?
No, its cheetah cubs
Their silvery-grey mantle
Effective camouflage
They’re enjoying breakfast
An impala kill by mama
Cheetah feast
Note: Cheetah cubs mimic honey badgers in appearance. They have a thick silvery-grey mantle running down their backs that gives them the appearance of a honey badger. This is a form of camouflage and makes the cubs look like an animal known for its fierce and fearless nature. Cheetah cubs are at risk of being eaten by most other predators so this honey badger disguise acts as a deterrent to potential predators giving them a better chance at survival.
Picture caption: Close up of one of the cheetah cubs that walked away from the kill for a short period.
roberta-writes.com 
Baby animals are always so cute! I hope your aunt will be feeling better soon. xo
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Thank you, Darlene
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Very sorry about your aunt, Robbie. Wishing her better health, and for you to have a less-exhausting life.
Great photos, though difficult to look at. Many animals are not vegetarians…
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HI DAve, I suppose I have grown used to animal kills. That is the natural way. Impala are basically food for the predators and warthogs (which I love) are like nature’s ‘pigs in blankets’.
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I’m so sorry about your aunt, Robbie! I hope she is feeling better soon. 💙
I know the cubs are fierce, but they do look cute (maybe not so much while eating). 😉 Great shots!
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HI Merril, this was the luckiest sighting. We also saw a lion kill. I have become used to animal kills as that is the natural way. It doesn’t bother me any more.
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Hi Robbie, It’s always wonderful when something works out that way–in the right time and place for a photo.
I know it’s all part of nature–like the hawk I saw the other day with the dead baby squirrel and the other squirrels screaming. It was a cool thing to see, even as it was upsetting to hear the squirrels.I
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I understand. An owl killed my baby hadeda last year. The family have lived in my garden for years and years. It was very heart breaking.
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Hope your aunt is better soon. Great photos, and a reminder that cute isn’t always good!
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HI Clive, you are right. Animals follow nature’s plans and that means that predators kill and eat herbivores and some other predators like these cute little guys.
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Nature can be cruel, can’t it. But I guess that’s the natural order of things.
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HI Clive, I suppose it is cruel, but this is the natural order of life for these animals. They are not deliberately mean or cruel like humans are. I find animals much easier to be around even at predator kill sights.
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Wishing all the best for your aunt. Those images are so appealing.
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Thank you, Craig. The baby cheetahs are adorable.
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Hoping your aunt feels better soon Robbie.
Thank you for sharing those amazung photographs..
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Thank you, Maggie. I’m delighted you enjoyed these pictures.
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My pleasure always .
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I’m sorry to hear about your aunt and I wish her a speedy recovery, with less worry for you.
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HI DAnny, thank you, it’s been a very difficult time. She is improving, thankfully.
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the poem works well, Roberta: I am taken by toes photos of those gorgeous cubs: I love the silvery grey mantle running down their backs: it looks a bit like a mohawk 🙂
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Hi John, I’m delighted you enjoyed this poem and the pictures. Baby cheetahs are just adorable.
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Prayers for your beloved Aunt! Those cheetah babies are precious, you honor them with your words.
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Thank you, Annette. I appreciate your prayers. I’m glad you enjoyed this post.
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I hope your aunt makes a full recovery soon, Robbie.
Your photos are so beautiful! I never knew that the cubs had the hair down their back like that. I enjoyed learning about them.
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Hi Kymber, nature is full of innovations and surprises. I’m glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for the well wishes.
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Amazing and beautiful!!
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Thank you, Dwight. They are amazing cats.
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You are welcome.
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Fantastic photos. Cheetahs are such cool cats.
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Thank you, Timothy. I couldn’t agree more.
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Wow! Great photos – and super poem!
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Thank you, Chris
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Beautiful poem and fantastic pictures of those magnificent creatures, Roberta. Best hope for your aunt.
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Thank you, Tim. It’s been very chaotic but it will start improving as she gets better.
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🙏 💖
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The fact that you get to witness the cheetah cubs in their natural habitat really brings the wild to me, Robbie. What an amazing break. I’m glad your aunt is on the mend. ❤️🩹
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HI Colleen, these bush breaks make my working life bearable. Thank you for your kind comment about my aunt.
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You’re so welcome, Robbie. You need those breaks. I’m just glad your aunt is better.
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I do need them. She is even better today. It’s like a miracle who she is improving here at my house. Really amazing.
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You must have a special connection with her. ❤️
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I am so sorry your aunt had this emergency, but am glad to know she is recovering now. How scary that must have been for you all.
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HI Pat, it was awful because I was hours away in the bushveld with limited wifi and phone signal. Fortunately, my sister could step in and help until I got home on Sunday.
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That’s so interesting about the cubs. I hope your aunt feels better soon.
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Thank you, Esther. It’s been quite overwhelming but it will improve as she improves.
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Those are some amazing photos, Robbie. I enjoyed the poem, as well. I do hope your little aunt is doing better now. It’s so scary when the medical world gets it wrong. Hugs!
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HI Jan, absolutely. It’s been a real nightmare but she’s at my house now and doing better. I’m so pleased you like the photographs and the poem.
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Love the line from the eye to the mouth. Signature.
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HI Jacqui, I’m glad you enjoyed these photographs.
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Robbie, those pics are amazing. By the way the cub is looking at the camera, does it mean he/she discerned your presence? The camouflage is a blessing. Don’t they sort of look like hyenas also? Am guessing besides fierceness, honey badgers (and hyenas) probably don’t taste very good. Love the poem and am pleased you were inspired by the prompt ❤
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p.s. I did a pingback in the comments sections of the “bend” post.
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Thank you, Lisa.
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You’re welcome.
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HI Lisa, honey badgers are smaller than hyenas but I think the idea is that they look like another fiercer predator. The baby’s didn’t particularly notice us and neither did the mother. They are (unfortunately) used to the safari vehicles and humans so we don’t upset them. The cub was just have a break from eating.
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Aren’t they beautiful ❤❤❤
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Thank you, Diana. They are amazing.
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🩷💕
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Hi, Robbie- Those cheetah cubs are absolutely stunning. Thank you for sharing them with us!
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My pleasure. This was a fantastic sighting.
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It’s a tough world out there in the wilderness. The cheetahs are so beautiful, did you have a long lens to catch them in action?
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HI VAlentina, yes I have a long lens for my camera and also a very good iphone intended for photography.
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That’s an interesting adaptation–nature is full of wonders.
I hope your aunt is feeling better. (K)
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Thank you, Kerfe. It’s been a bit of a nightmare but one we go. I am happy I got to see the cheetah cubs.
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Great photos, Robbie. With four cubs, the mother is under pressure to provide. Is four an unusual number of cubs for a cheetah?
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HI Audrey, she actually has a litter of 5 cubs. This is her second litter. I saw the first litter last year in late October and she had three. One died and two are now independent. They can have up to 8 cubs but 4 is a normal litter size.
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I’m glad that your aunt is out of the hospital and hope she’ll recover quickly. The pictures are beautiful, and those cubs are having a feast. It’s nice to see nature as it was intended.
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HI Edward, I think so too. These cubs are adorable.
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Yes, they are.
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So sorry that you came home to such an alarming situation. It’s a good thing you came home when you did. I hope you enjoyed your time away.
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HI Pete, it was a little fraught with all the messages and phone calls, but we had great sightings and the drives don’t have signal so you get a break from the anxiety. Thanks
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They are cutely gruesome.
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I very much hope that your aunt recovers quickly. Also, I didn’t realize the fuzzy backs of cheetah cubs were a kind of camouflage. Your photos remind me of the time when my family visited the zoo, and we saw five cheetah cubs. They were cute, like the ones in your photos.
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Amazing photos, Robbie. And how interesting about their disguise. Those little fellows are very cute and I hope they get a chance to grow up.
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Your photos are incredible, Robbie, and loved your poem. Those cubs are so cute! Makes me want one! LOL And I hope your aunt recovers soon, too.
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I’ve never seen that white hair before. Thank you! I do hope your aunt continues to recover. You must be exhausted. Best to you, Robbie.
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Thank you, Jennie. It’s the first time I’ve seen cheetahs this young and with white fur. It’s been a tough time 💔
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You’re welcome, Robbie. This was a first for you, too. My heart is out there for your aunt, and you. It certainly must be a very tough time.
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Thank you, Jennie 💗
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You’re welcome. 💕
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According to the little one that walked away from the kill for a bit, “That is lip smacking good and tasty!”
Love your poem, and your shots are fabulous.
Hard to believe the little ones are prey themselves.
Thank you, Robbie!
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