Steffie

Steffie was another of our research subjects and was slightly larger than her sister, Caroline. She is a beautiful cat with striking rosettes and an unmarked skin, and is slightly lighter in colour than her littermate. Her fickle temper is something you always need to keep in mind when spending time with her. Some days she will lie down in the shade of your vehicle, whereas on other days she'll charge at the vehicle for no apparent reason (except of course for her just not wanting you there). She inhabits the southern part of the reserve in an area stretching from the southern bank of the Mkuze river and onto the southern open plains interspersed with fever tree lined streams and drainage lines.

 

The nature of the terrain she calls home makes following her quite difficult, especially during the wetter summer months when the grass grows head-high in some places. However, every sighting spent with her fills you with awe at the incredible beauty and fiery spirit of the individual. Steffie is fitted with a GPS/Remote download collar from Vectronics Aerospace which records her position, together with the date and time. Double motion sensor units recording her head's x-axis (left/right) and y-axis (up/down) movements coupled with average temperature readings over five minute intervals throughout the battery life of the collar completes her data gathering equipment.

Unfortunately, Steffie died earlier in the year and the only logical explanation we had as a cause of death was a snake bite.  She looked in perfect health and was well-fed as she caught an impala ram 3 days before her death.