It’s a rare privilege to spot a lone and elusive cheetah while out on game drive. Cheetahs are delicate, slender cats that differ somewhat from other brutish feline species. They’re the sprinters of the wildlife kingdom and are often mistaken for leopards due to their similar rosette patterned coat. These solitary cats can reach speeds of up to 110km per hour which makes them the fastest land mammal. The sprint consumes plenty of energy which means most of the day they’re found taking cat naps in order to harness their much needed hunting energy. They’ll shy away from the heat by seeking out shaded areas and drainage lines; which offer protection. I guess the drainage line outside Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge was the ideal location for our complex feline.
It’s not often we see these delicate creatures but Ezulwini have been incredibly lucky with their cat sightings recently. They’ve seen mega-prides of lions and leaps of leopard over the past few days. The only cat sighting they were missing was a cheetah – they didn’t have to look far !
Guests staying at Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge heard the impala emitting a series of alarm calls. With all the recent leopard and lion sightings, there was an assumption it would be one of these super-predators. How wrong they were. Right in front of the lodge, close to a drainage line, was a male cheetah estimated to be roughly 8/9 years old ! Notice how he is slightly perched on a mound of sand. These delicate pussy cats often place themselves in elevated areas so they can survey the landscape for potential threats from the comfort of their “throne”.
Cheetah are diurnal hunters and use their speed to chase prey, which is mainly small species of antelope. Hunting is normally done in the early hours of the morning during first light or just before the sun sets. Cheetah have incredibly bad night vision and don’t have the strength to compete with bigger cats which hunt nocturnally. Being slight also means they don’t have the strength to fight off aggressive carnivores and scavengers.
Perhaps this lone ranger was waiting until it got cooler to prepare his dinner…
A cheetah outside of Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge? That certainly qualifies as one of the top sightings of the day!
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