Michael Reid Johnson Wildlife Photography

13/08/2026

12/08/2026

I'll admit it — sometimes I take elephants for granted.

I know, I know. It sounds ridiculous, but it's honestly how I feel at times. You see them often enough and they can become part of the background.

But then you come across one like this, and you can't help but stop and feel completely mesmerized by them.

On World Elephant Day, I'm reminded once again just how magnificent these creatures really are. 🐘

10/08/2026

Still on the search for the dominant Welgevonden male of Dinokeng Game Reserve. This time, I had to settle for one of his sons. A splitting image of his father?

This pride had been seen in the area the previous day before disappearing into a block of thick vegetation. We searched for them again the following morning, but there was no sign that they had left the block, leading us to believe they may have made a kill somewhere inside.

That afternoon, while searching the same area, we were responding to a radio call about buffalo nearby when we spotted a lioness drinking at a small dam. The sighting quickly became busy, with chaos erupting across the radios.

As the lioness moved off, we decided to leave and give the other vehicles a chance to get a glimpse of her. Just as we were leaving, we spotted another lion crossing the road.

The whole pride was on the move, heading towards the dam — and out came this young boy.

A quick lion sighting, but a fitting one to share on World Lion Day. 🦁

09/08/2026

Sometimes a few tracks and a very observant giraffe are all you need to find something special.

We found fresh cheetah tracks leading into a block of thick vegetation and decided to stop and scan the area.

A giraffe nearby was staring intently towards the centre of the block. We turned around to scan back down the road towards where it had been looking.

Bingo!

There they were — a cheetah mother and her four cubs tucked away in the thick vegetation.

While three of the cubs were busy playing in the background, this little one sat quietly in the grass, peering through the vegetation and calmly watching us.

It was almost as if this one had decided to sit back and watch the whole thing unfold.

📍 Dinokeng Game Reserve

08/08/2026

Stunning sighting this morning of a cheetah mom and her four cubs.

We found fresh tracks early this morning leading into a block of thick vegetation. We decided to scan the area and spotted a giraffe staring intently towards the centre of the block.

We left the giraffe and turned around to scan back down the road towards where it had been looking.

Bingo. There they were.

A cheetah mother and her four cubs, tucked away in the thick vegetation. Sometimes a few tracks and a very observant giraffe are all you need to put the pieces together.

05/08/2026

Successful Cheetah Hunt – Part 3

A different perspective of this incredible sighting from Sunday, filmed on a smartphone.

After the initial excitement of their mom catching their next meal, the cheetah family settled down. Mom stayed a short distance from the carcass, catching her breath after the chase.
The cubs, however, weren't nearly as patient.

They did everything they could to open the carcass and start eating, but it was clear they were reaching the limit of their patience waiting for mom to step in.

Watching the interaction between the cubs and their mother was just as fascinating as the hunt itself.

04/08/2026

Successful Cheetah Hunt – Part 2

We initially thought this was a male cheetah after witnessing the hunt. But as soon as the impala was down, she started calling with those distinctive cheetah chirps. That's when we realised she was a mother calling her cubs.

A few moments later, all four cubs came bursting onto the scene, full of excitement and energy.

While mom lay down to catch her breath after the chase, the cubs got straight to work. They did their absolute best to open the carcass, drag it around and even tug at the impala's ears, but it was clear they still needed a bit of help from mom, who was taking a well-earned breather.

It was incredible to watch. They reminded me of kids in a toy shop, so excited that they didn't know what to play with first.