At last...cheetah

We received a wake up call at 5.00am this morning and had to meet at 5.15am, so no lazing in bed, we were up, washed and out the door very quickly. It was a beautiful morning, warm and sunny so we were very comfortable wearing shorts and T shirts (it rose to 30C later so it developed into a very hot day)

We set off trying to find a group of lions, and drove around all morning with no success. We heard them, but they were deep in the thicket so could not find them. Annoyingly, the jeeps are not allowed off the roads after a rainfall so we were restricted to the tracks and roads. I did not realise how spoilt we were going on safari 5 years ago in the Mara (Kenya) as it definitely offers the best game viewing in the world, I was feeling disappointed how we are struggling to find anything here and when we do the animal is very skittish and not clearly visible. 

We came back feeling a bit frustrated. The lodge is very luxurious and the food is excellent, but so far the game viewing was disappointing. We had an enormous breakfast and then it was too hot to do anything else. We cannot walk around the lodge as it is unfenced, and when it is dark you have to be escorted to and from your room.

Shortly before we went out on our afternoon game drive, the rangers were notified by a maintenance staff member that he had witnessed two cheetah killing an impala right next to a main road. We quickly drove over to the site hoping they had not yet dragged the kill into the dense thicket as then we would not see them. We found them gorging themselves on their kill by the side of the road, anxiously looking around for lion who very often come to steal their kill. The two cheetah are siblings who lost their mother to a snare in another reserve. They are only about 18 months old so it was incredible that they managed to take down this adult impala. They had been seen recently looking very thin so it was a relief that they had found food. 

Cheetahs are endangered, and their numbers are worryingly low. The ranger was telling us how there is such a surplus of elephants and lions, but not the case for cheetahs. They are solitary animals, they do not live in a pack, and the female is not supported by the male and so has to defend for herself and her cubs. When she is out hunting for food her cubs are left defenceless so it’s no wonder that their numbers are declining. 

It was thrilling to be parked about 4 metres from them as they ate, watching them and observing their behaviour. After that thrilling encounter we drove around but had no other major sightings. We always stop for sundowners and snacks (as if we need anymore food!) and then drive back in the dark with the tracker sweeping the light beam ahead of the vehicle looking for nocturnal animals. We found scrub hares, gennets and a four toed sengi, which is a type of elephant shrew which is endemic to this area.

We enjoyed supper on the terrace watching the lightning and listening to the thunder building up, and now it’s finally raining to cool things down. Another early rise tomorrow morning!

I did not know which one to blip so some extras....