We had very few cheetahs sightings in 2009 but finally towards the end of 2010, we started seeing more. Cheetahs tend to leave parks and reserves where lion numbers are high and appear to do better outside in the community areas. We are now seeing cheetahs almost on a weekly basis and most of the cheetahs have cubs! Unfortunately, we learned that lions killed one of the cheetah cubs in Buffalo Springs. The cheetah cub was under 5 months old and belonged to a well-known mother who was trying to raise 4 cubs successfully. Since then, we looked for the female and found her with only 2 cubs who are currently doing well.
Lion tracks near the dead cheetah
We’ve had a few rain showers recently but it is still very dry. So this continues to be fantastic predator time as we are seeing leopards, lions and wild dogs often. We’ll keep you posted on what happens to the cheetahs.
Thanks to Save the Elephants and Louise Bell (STE volunteer) for the photos.