Little Big Cats

I had a pretty amazing sighting this evening. Benoit and I had gone over the Sweetwaters Tented Camp staff camp to get some Tuskers from the staff store. When we got there we had to wait a half hour because the store clerk was playing in an evening soccer game and no one else had the shop key. We were troubled by the delay at the time, but it turns out it was for the best. On the way home with our crate of Tusker in hand, the car headlights picked up a dark spot in the road ahead. We kept going, expecting whatever it was to move, but soon got close enough to see that it was not the usual hare or guinea fowl. There were two of them and at first I thought they were genets - large genets - but as soon as Benoit said "Leopard cubs!" it was clear. They were a mottled dark brown color, their spots not yet clearly developed, and their eyes shone a light blue-grey in the car headlights. The closer one gave us a miniature hiss before the two scampered off into the bushes by the road. We didn't have a light (or a camera) with us, so finding them or their mother was impossible. Nevertheless, we were elated with our 15-second sighting and totally forgot the hassle of the delay with the beer. It's amazing that I spend most of my time here out in the field hoping and looking for cool sightings, but the best one so far comes out of pure luck when I am not even looking for it!