09 Oct, 2008

This fleet-footed feline shows off her hunting skill despite a severely injured leg.

This morning started off on a high note, when we came upon the unusual sight of a female cheetah hunting an impala in the Xakanaxa area of the Moremi Game Reserve, here in northern Botswana.

We hardly ever see cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) here as they tend to frequent the drier, more open landscape that is common to regions further south.

The cheetah was chasing after a herd at full speed.

It was an incredible sight to see her at such pace: she looked so stable and in such control, sprinting through the trees and dodging objects in her way, eventually making a successful kill.

But she had a very bad limp due to an injury to one of her back legs. The deep cut was bleeding profusely, and she battled to put weight on it as she walked. It’s possible that this is an injury sustained in an attempted kill earlier in the morning.

She was exhausted after her fast-paced sprint and took her time to catch her breath before dragging the carcass into the bushes. The cheetah was very thin, and her wounded leg couldn’t have made the hunt any easier. She looked tired and weak and dragged the impala deeper into the island slowly and with difficulty. She dragged the impala by its rear, which is very unusual. Perhaps this was the best grip she could get on the antelope in her weak state.

Cheetahs are not as powerful as leopards or lions, and battle to keep their kills away from scavengers and other predators.

We assumed she would quickly eat the impala to avoid losing it to a hyena or leopard, but she didn’t start eating until much later.

She simply lay next to her catch, almost too exhausted to eat her hard-earned kill.

We heard from a guide in the area that this particular female has two very young cubs. It would be great if we manage to find and film them during the next few weeks.

– Julie King, Earth-Touch crew © Earth-Touch

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