The Cheetah Hunt – Londolozi Blog

Spring is slowly springing and on a recent game drive, we were on a quest into the deep southwest for one of the more elusive predators we find in these parts, the cheetah. We had heard tell of a male in the area as well as the mother with her three cubs. There’d been no sign of them for several days but we were ready to roll the dice.

The afternoon was warm and pleasant, the sun bathing the south-west grasslands in gold. Our expectations were low but the company was pleasant, and we were just enjoying being lucky enough to spend the day out there. We spent some time admiring a herd of elephants as they grazed contentedly, rumbling who-knows-what to each other, seemingly as contented as we were to watch the day go by.

We found a gorgeous male rhino on the scent of a female, not pausing to even glance at us, a clearly focused mind!

As we watched that rhino march away ranger Shadrack Mkabela’s voice sang out through the radio like a Shangaan angel, “Stations, we have located a cheetah lying on a termite mound.” My guests and I immediately about-faced and raced to try and capture the moment before the cheetah inevitably descended.

Our timing could not have been more perfect. We got to admire the animal as he lounged atop the mound, long tail and powerful legs draped over the crags, his regal head scanning the horizon. Suddenly, he locked on to something, eyes and ears laser-focused, something was right behind us. It was a kudu mother and calf.

Spotting the kudu. Look at that intense stare.

The predator was soon up and skulking down the mound right in front of us, a scene that is etched in my memory. He stalked right past our vehicle and began trotting. We all turned our vehicles around but refrained from giving chase. He settled on his haunches still some distance away from the kudu, seemingly too far. We thought he would stalk further ahead before breaking but suddenly he was up, his powerful muscles flexing, his strides lengthening, the gap closing rapidly.

The kudu finally spotted him and broke into a sprint, their long legs chewing up the ground, the mother trying to guide the calf somewhat in the direction of the thickets ahead. It was all chaos at this point, our three vehicles trying to keep up, watching as both kudu and cheetah crested the rise, dust plumes lit by the afternoon sun. Euce’s camera came off second best as the door rattled open and it rolled out before he could grab it! Bless the man, he didn’t even bat an eyelid as he shouted, “Keep going, boet (brother)!”

Recovering Euce’s lost camera which was working fine after a bit of dusting off, is a testament to Nikon’s build quality!

The last view I had of them, I was sure the kudu had escaped, the gap just seemed too wide, but as we came over the hill we saw the male had pinned the calf down and already had his jaws clamped across the throat of the young animal.

Life does not extinguish easily however and it took quite some time for the struggle to cease. At one point the cheetah let go to scan around him for any approaching danger and the calf still had the energy to struggle to its feet!

Warning, some people might find this video tough to watch!

To view on YouTube, click here.

Triumphant.

But soon thereafter the deed was done and we looked around us after having been so ensconced in this life-and-death struggle, and the sun was setting, and it was time for us to go to leave the hero with his prize while we digested what we had just witnessed.