MALE LION FINDS 4 CHEETAH

A male lion was walking along the road with purpose, stopping regularly as he picked up a scent. He kept changing directions so we realised he was definitely looking for something. Our guesses were numerous. Looking for his brothers? A female in oestrus? Following a herd of buffalo? Another male lion in his territory? Perhaps even a leopard?

What we saw next was what we had least expected and satisfied all of our curiosity. A cheetah mother with her 3 sub-adult offspring crouching down in the long grass hoping not to be seen by the determined male lion. It wasn’t long before the scent lead him in exactly their direction. He then spotted them, furiously bursting forward, charging towards them as they scattered in seconds.

It was actually quite humorous to watch these 4 timid predators tease the king of the African bush. They kept getting away from him with ease. At their age, they were far too quick for the lion to even stand a chance. My most vivid memory off the exciting interaction was the mother following the lion during his charges making sure that he didn’t catch one of her young.

We left the area when he eventually gave up and the female cheetah ambled off with her young following close behind her.

Posted: Ngala by Andrew Nicholson, Date: 8 November 2011

 
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