On a morning safari game drive we specifically went out to find a lion. Whilst searching an area close to the western airstrip we came across a mother cheetah and two cubs casually walking whilst expecting their area.
We realised the mother was searching for potential prey! Little did we know that she was going to find some soon! The youngsters occupied themselves by chasing a terrified black-back jackal a few times. It was clear that the young playful cheetah was just chasing the terrified jackal out of pure joy!
About 45min into following the three cheetahs we saw the mother fix her gaze on a large herd of impala. The two cubs saw her body language and knew they had to stay behind giving their mother time and space to assess the potential for a successful hunt.
A mere few seconds later we saw her running at full speed after the impala. We followed down the road and saw her bring down an adult female with a bite to the neck. This all happened a few metres from the road and we were right there to witness it all unfold! Interesting to note. We measured 1 (one) of her running strides at a staggering 8 metres apart!
Please enjoy the video I was lucky enough to capture on that lucky morning drive.
Fritz Breytenbach
