MalaMala - The Wildlife

There were no sightings of the female cheetah and her three approximately 7-month-old cubs - these were seen last month interacting with the Rock Drift Male leopard and then later with two female impala kills; hopefully they will reappear sometime in the near future.

There were only three sightings of adult female cheetahs this month, potentially all of the same animal. Two of the encounters were early in the game-report period and to the northeast of the reserve. The last sighting was several weeks later when the female cheetah was seen swimming from east to west through the Sand River. It is quite likely that the cheetah had encountered some lions which were to her east at the time and, not wanting to head back their way, she decided to cross the river. When she approached the water, the cheetah spent at least an hour 'thinking' about it, slowly preparing herself. Then she waded in until the water was a few centimetres deep. And there she stood for at least fifteen minutes, at some stages starting to retreat, and then deciding against it. She also snarled at the water, no doubt aiming her fear at imaginary crocodiles, before she finally took the proverbial plunge and walked with purpose to the main channel of the river. With only ten or so meters to go until the other bank was reached, the water became too deep for her to wade through and she was forced to swim. Her head was the only part of her body showing, but it was clear that the cheetah was paddling furiously. The far bank was soon reached and the cheetah hauled herself up amongst the reeds, safe from crocodiles and moving steadily away from the lions.

11 sightings of adult male cheetahs, probably of two different animals. These two cheetahs were seen on the central, eastern and northern parts of Mala Mala and provided some good viewing. One of the cheetahs spent some days in the same general area and each time had a baby impala kill. The first kill was actually witnessed, but before the cheetah could feed for very long, a hyaena arrived on the scene and effortlessly stole the carcass. Towards the end of the month it was probably this same cheetah which was found with an adult male impala kill. Fortunately the cheetah managed to stay with his prize for several hours and was very well fed before a female leopard appropriated the remains. The leopard later had to take the kill up a tree when a hyaena arrived to claim his share. The other male cheetah was the one often seen around the northern part of the reserve. At the beginning of the game report period he was seen killing a young impala and then later on he was found with the carcass of a close to one-year-old male kudu, this a fairly large item of prey for a cheetah.

Approximate number of different cheetah encountered: 3

November 2001

4 sightings of a female cheetah and three approximately 6-month-old cubs. These cheetahs had a dramatic start to the month when they had a run-in with the Rock Drift Male leopard. The four cheetahs were found on the move and unknowingly heading towards the male leopard which was resting up on a termite mound. When the leopard saw the cheetahs, it stood up and started walking towards them. This is when the female cheetah saw the leopard and immediately started running towards the leopard, this no doubt in a brave bid to confuse the stronger leopard and buy time for her cubs to escape. The adult cheetah would have had no trouble outrunning the leopard, but the cubs would have been left to its mercy and if caught killed. This particular female cheetah has a history of great bravery in the face of adversaries and has in the past been seen standing her ground to both lions and leopards. Anyway, when the female started running, two of the cubs turned and ran away, but the third seemed to follow its mother. What followed in quite thick bush was a whirling mass of spotted cats and a cacophony of screeches and snarls and somewhere along the line the third cub vanished. The adult cheetah and the male leopard then faced one another and each mock-charged the other before the cheetah withdrew in the direction of the first two cubs and the leopard lay down. When the female cheetah caught up with her two cubs, the three moved off from the scene. The third cub was at that stage in the opposite direction to where its mother and siblings were going and seemed quite lost. In order not to confuse things further, this is where viewing stopped and the landrovers withdrew. Although the leopard had at this stage apparently lost interest in the cheetahs, any attention drawn towards the lost cub might have changed things.

Nearly a week past before the family of cheetahs was seen again. All three were together, but many kilometres from the scene of the interaction. When found they were eating an adult female impala. Whilst they were feeding on their kill, another male leopard arrived in the general area. Fortunately for the cheetahs neither they nor their kill were seen and the leopard went on his way, heckled by monkeys as he walked. Two days later the four cheetahs were again on the move, this time heading north but hunting as they went. As it turned out, this was the last sighting of this foursome for the month and turned out to be a most spectacular one at that. After seeing some prey animals ahead of her, the female cheetah made a cautious approach before sprinting in, ignoring the other panic-stricken animals - giraffe and zebra included - as they thundered past her in clouds of dust. Once more her aim was true and she caught another adult female impala.

3 sightings of an adult female cheetah, perhaps the same one on all occasions, one sighting on eastern Flockfield and the other two on successive days four days later on the western parts of the Mala Mala/ Eyrefield boundary, this some 10 kilometres away from the first sighting.

There were 2 sightings of cheetahs at night (three in fact if the one sighting of the above-mentioned female is included), but these were brief due to the policy of not using spotlights on cheetahs at night.

10 sightings of male cheetahs, these involving perhaps three different animals. One of these cheetahs was a nervous animal and ran when approached by a vehicle. It is not certain whether the large and relaxed male cheetah so often seen to the northern and NW parts of Mala Mala also heads down as far as the central and eastern parts of the reserve. Male cheetahs certainly cover great areas of land so it is quite feasible that it could be the same animal seen at these various locations. On one cool and damp day this month, this particular male cheetah was seen moving south from opposite the Mala Mala Main Camp to the Mala Mala bridge where, after making several attempts at catching impala, caught an adult female Nyala. Fortunately for the cheetah the day did not favour vultures and when evening fell, it had filled its stomach to capacity. Footprints the next morning suggested that hyaenas had been the first scavengers on the scene to steal what was left. A male lion had followed them. At another sighting of a relaxed adult male cheetah (perhaps the same animal) on the eastern and central parts of Mala Mala, the animal was calling frequently, definitely trying to locate another cheetah which must have recently been in the area. Two days prior to this a female cheetah had passed through this particular part of the reserve and it could well have been her which the male was trying to contact. The following day probably this same male cheetah was still in the area, not calling, but certainly scent-marking.

Approximate number of different cheetah encountered: 8

October 2001

12 sightings of male cheetahs:
At least three and perhaps even four different males were involved in these encounters A nervous male cheetah was seen close to the Mala Mala boundary with the Kruger National Park - this was towards the centre of the reserve and another such animal was encountered at least 10 kilometres further north at a later date. Most sightings of male cheetahs were from the large and relaxed animal which favours the environs of the upper reaches of the Mlowathi River. This male was seen perhaps 8 times, mostly around these north-western parts of the reserve. There were two other sightings of male cheetahs which were perhaps the young male seen three times last month. The one encounter was close to the Kapen River on the central-western areas of the reserve whilst the other sighting was further east of this, closer to the Kruger National Park boundary with Mala Mala.

10 sightings of a female cheetah and three approximately 5-month-old cubs:

At the beginning of the month the three cubs were highly suspect of vehicles and approaching them had to be cautious. But, aided by the fact that their mother was not particularly caring about the landrovers, the youngsters soon settled down and provided some superb viewing throughout the month, spending most of their time along the mid-sections of the Matshapiri River where they were seen on at least four kills. Towards the beginning of the month the four cheetahs ventured up towards the upper reaches of the Mlowathi River, but, perhaps after detecting the presence of lions in this area, turned back and moved south again.

One extraordinary sighting of these cheetahs started when they were found chasing impala a kilometre or so directly east of the Mala Mala Main Camp in an area well-used by cheetahs. The chase was unsuccessful and the cheetahs headed north. At the same time, a male cheetah was north of them and heading west, directly towards them and also hunting. By this time the female and her cubs had pretty much given up on things and were simply resting on a termite mound, watching a herd of male impala coming towards them. These happened to be the same impala which the male cheetah was trying to stalk up on. In the end the impala saw the danger and moved away. When the female cheetah saw the male, she was immediately apprehensive and she and the cubs slunk away. The male cheetah detected their presence but aside from mild curiosity, made no effort to follow them.

One of the antelope caught by the female cheetah this month was a steenbok. Before it was dead, the cubs arrived on the scene and as small as they are, the mother let them finish it off; not a pretty way to die, particularly when at the mercy of such young and inexperienced animals. The belief of course is that the suffering of a few will prevent that of others later on when the young killers become that much more efficient.

September 2001

2 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 20-month-old daughters: This trio was seen only twice this month and frankly it's a surprise that they are all still together. The day must be fast approaching when the mother leaves her daughters to themselves. Both encounters this month were towards the end of the game-report period, the first on the central areas of the Mala Mala/ Flockfield boundary, the second two days later opposite the Mala Mala Main Camp. During this latter sighting they 'discovered' a young female leopard on a freshly killed adult male bushbuck. The cheetah of course could not steal the kill even though it was on the ground.

At least 5 sightings of a lone relaxed adult male cheetah: This male which has typically been seen in the general environs of the Mlowathi River spent some time further south over this game report period and delivered some impressive viewing. Last months game report made mention of this cheetah seeing and actively chasing after a young giraffe and this month the same happened. Soon after he had made a half-hearted attempt at catching a duiker, the cheetah saw a giraffe of less than a week of age (the youngster had been found still wrapped in its afterbirth a few days before) and immediately took off after it. Fortunately for the giraffe, its mother had seen the cheetah at the same time and was probably 100 meters away when the pair took off. The chase lasted several hundred meters and ended when the giraffe thundered through a steep gully, fortunately not tripping up. Given his state of exhaustion after this, it was quite clear that the chase was deadly serious and not simply a playful whim. A week or so after this giraffe encounter, the cheetah put on his finest performance of the month when he was seen taking down an adult male impala. In spite of the many months that this cheetah has been seen, this has probably been the first time that he has actually been seen catching something. When first found, he was drinking from the Mlowathi River, but soon set out on the hunt. He encountered a herd of impala within minutes but in spite of circling them, was seen and the game was up. After lying down on a termite mound, the cheetah saw some more impala several hundred meters away across an open area and started heading in their direction. But things did not look good; the impala were alert and the cheetah needed to cover a great deal of open ground between them. But time was evidently on his side and the cheetah lay down in a thicket to watch. And then things happened. Something startled the impala and they came bulleting directly towards the cheetah over the open field. This was too good to be true and the cheetah launched himself at the impala. When they saw what had happened, the impala changed course, forcing the cheetah to do the same and for a moment it appeared as if he was lagging. But then a burst of speed came from nowhere and the cheetah caught an adult male impala. After strangling it, he dragged the carcass towards a fallen Knobthorn acacia, not ideal cover, but the best in the area. Once he had his breath back the cheetah started to feed, obviously worried about vultures arriving and then attracting other predators to the area. But nothing arrived and in the end the cheetah ate almost the entire carcass - a huge meal for one cheetah. But what startled the impala so that they ran towards the cheetah remains a mystery. Fresh lion tracks were in the area and perhaps with this smell around and a strong wind blowing, the impala had been startled by something trivial like a branch crashing. Whatever it was, the cheetah had an impala delivered to him on a plate.

There were perhaps four sightings of the same quite nervous adult male cheetah: These encounters were towards the north-central & eastern parts of the reserve. Cautious viewing over the last few months of probably this same animal has calmed him down somewhat and one vehicle at a time can usually get a decent sighting. Hopefully this will continue.

There were two sightings of adult male cheetahs, one towards the centre of the reserve with an adult male impala kill and the other further north with an adult female impala kill; neither cheetah was identified but it is quite likely that they were at least one of the above-mentioned three males.

Towards the end of the month there was a single sighting of a female cheetah and three approximately 4-month-old cubs. This encounter was close to the central parts of the Mala Mala-Kruger National Park boundary. Whilst the mother was not particularly concerned with the presence of the vehicles, the cubs were and viewing was restricted. All this indicates that the three youngsters have spent most of their life away from the presence of vehicles, but hopefully they will stay long enough on the reserve to permit cautious viewing, so resulting in them relaxing down.

August 2001

2 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 19-month-old daughters:
In spite of this trio being seen only twice and these sightings on successive days, they provided one of the more spectacular bits of viewing seen so far this year. Everything started when the three were found walking past the boom-gate near the Mala Mala Main Camp. After wandering towards some areas known to be typically rich in prey species and encountering nothing, the three cheetahs lay down in the shade of a small umbrella-thorn tree. All appeared in good condition and although not fat, they did not appear desperate for a meal. But with the cubs growing rapidly and on the point of being abandoned, food obviously is a pressing matter and every opportunity to hunt has to be taken. So, after lying down for nearly an hour, the three set off. Soon after entering a dense stand of scrub acacia trees, the trio spotted prey animals ahead of them. So dense was the bush that it was not possible to tell what they were stalking, but their body language conveyed pure hunting concentration. And then all sight of them was lost and the search was on. There was a brief sound as one of them splashed through a small stream, no doubt whilst chasing whatever their prey was. To frustrate matters, there was also no sound of alarm or a cry of distress. Circling the bush into which the cheetahs had gone also proved fruitless, until a few impalas some distance away snorted once or twice and looked towards the area. And then things happened; the three cheetahs were found clinging onto an adult male impala which was not quite dead and struggling with all his waning power. This struggle, although lost to the ears of those searching for the cheetahs, was heard by a lone hyaena which must have been resting up in the bush. Wasting no time, the hyaena came running in, forcing the cheetahs to abandon their catch and jump aside. The impala struggled to its feet, but was just too far gone to run off. The hyaena noticed this as it continued to force the cheetahs to keep away. Then, when it was satisfied that it was in control, the hyaena seized the impala. There was no clinical strangulation this time - the hyaena simply chewed huge chunks out of the still struggling impala. No doubt death was swift and shock eliminated much if not all of its pain, but the impala did not die well. Wasting no time, the hyaena was soon using its devastating jaws to gulp down huge chunks of meat whilst the three cheetahs looked on from 10 or 20 meters away. Vultures were also quick to pick up on what was happening in the clearing below them and also started gathering. They too could either chase the cheetahs off or, worse, attract the attentions of other hyaenas, leopards or lions. No doubt with this in mind, the hyaena continued eating with as much haste as it could. And then the cheetahs approached the kill, two of them trying to intimidate the hyaena. But it was not impressed and the cheetahs soon skulked off after coming within meters of it. Soon they tried once more but again had their bluff called and again they retreated. By this time the hyaena had eaten a fair quantity and started dragging the carcass towards the cover of some nearby bushes Once more

the cheetahs approached. This time, when one of the cheetahs came close to the carcass, the hyaena charged the cheetah which spat in alarm and quickly turned away. Then luck happened. Goodness knows why, but, after dragging the carcass closer towards the bushes, the hyaena left it and ran off. Maybe it was the gathering vultures which made it edgy. If lions had come running in, then even the hyaena would have been in serious trouble. So perhaps it thought it best to get going whilst things were still good and it had already eaten a fair amount of the food. After a moment or two of hesitation, the cheetahs returned and were all soon feeding with great vigour. But the hyaena soon reapproached and forced the cheetahs to flee and back off. And all the time more and more vultures gathered until several dozen were either settling in the trees or flying lazy circles in the sky above. Eventually all proved too much for the hyaena and after gulping down some more meat, moved off and the cheetahs had the remains. In the end the three cheetahs probably ate about as much as their stomachs could hold and they were lucky. Later that evening the cheetahs were on the Mala Mala airstrip, resting up. All in all a fine hour of action. The following day the cheetahs were still on the Mala Mala airstrip but soon moved off. For all we know this fine bit of action may well have been the last involving all three cheetahs. With the youngsters as large and apparently capable as they are, it cannot be long now before their mother abandons them.

1 sighting each of two approximately 22-month-old sisters: It appears as if these sisters have split up and gone their separate ways, but perhaps not due to the expected coarse of events. Both cheetahs were seen on the same day, but several kilometres apart and on opposite sides of the river and one of them had a noticeably injured foot. Although the exact nature of the injury could not be determined, the cheetah was in obvious pain and moving with difficulty. Goodness knows what could have happened, but such is the physical life of these speedsters that these injuries could only be expected. Unfortunately such hardships are also not catered for in the animal world of sympathy and it is quite likely that the healthy sister simply abandoned the other, refusing to let its handicap also cripple her. Unfortunately too nothing more was seen of either of the cheetahs and so it is not known whether the injured sister recovered or not.

1 sighting of a young female cheetah towards the south and central-western parts of Mala Mala. This cheetah may have been one of the above-mentioned sisters.

3 sightings of a young male cheetah: These were towards the south western parts of the reserve when the young male was seen killing an impala. Luckily for him he managed to eat all he could before competitors arrived to steal it. For the next two days he stayed in the general area before moving off to hunt again.

7 sightings of a lone relaxed adult male cheetah: This cheetah which is usually seen around the northern parts of Mala Mala provided some good viewing over August. Although he has never actually been seen making a kill, he has certainly been observed making several attempts. What has also become most evident over the past year or so is his confidence and this was quite clearly seen this month when he made a concerted effort to catch a young giraffe. This action happened one early morning as the cheetah was out coursing through the brush. Upon seeing a female giraffe and its approximately month-old calf, the cheetah immediately perked up and started forward. The alert mother giraffe saw the danger from afar, turned and bolted, in the process knocking her calf down. This was perhaps the go-ahead which the cheetah wanted and he was off in a flash. Fortunately the young giraffe recovered and followed its mother and in an impressive gallop managed to outlast the cheetah. After running out of steam the cheetah retired to a large termite mound close to where two rhinos were grazing.

2 sightings of a semi-nervous male cheetah: There were two confirmed sightings of perhaps the same adult male cheetah which moved off when approached. The one encounter was on the central and eastern parts of the reserve, the other, a week later, some kilometres further north. As with the above-mentioned male cheetah, careful viewing may well cause him to relax down and eventually become completely habituated with the presence of landrovers.

2 sightings of perhaps the above-mentioned male cheetah, one of which was of this male mating with a female. These sightings were on consecutive days, the first when the male cheetah was found near the Kapen River, evidently following the scent of something, probably the female in oestrus. Last months report mentioned a single female being found towards the end of July and moving in a most dedicated way towards this area, covering a great distance in only a few hours. The following day there was a brief sighting of a male and female cheetah mating. All was over fast and the pair was lost, apparently nervous of the approach of a vehicle. No further attempts were made to observe them as this would in all likelihood have simply harassed them and caused them undue stress. Few have seen cheetahs mating, but by all accounts it did not differ much from the performance of some of the other large cats, with the male biting the neck of the female during the brief act of copulation. Growling sounds were also heard.

July 2001

5 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 18-month-old daughters: These three cheetah which have delivered such fine viewing over the last year-and-a-half or so were seen mostly around the Mala Mala airstrip and towards the end of this game-report period. On the one occasion they were seen heading off hunting, not succeeding whilst they were being followed, but returned that evening, fat as could be. The following morning the remains of a young bushbuck were found close to where they had been lying. The cheetahs were not far from the scene and a jackal and a hyaena were feeding from the scraps. It is quite likely that the bushbuck wandered from the bushline onto the airstrip and the cheetah took full advantage of it. At the last sighting of this trio during July, also on the airstrip, they were seen returning to the relative sanctuary of the open area one mid-afternoon. This time they looked lean and evidently had not had a successful day. Nevertheless, they still had plenty of energy as their old foes the jackals soon found out. The two young cheetahs spotted two jackals sleeping nor far from them and immediately saw an opportunity for some sport.

One of the youngsters circled to the south and the other approached head-on. At first it looked as if the jackals could scarcely believe their eyes, but when the cheetahs started running towards them, they split up and sprinted away. When a jackal puts its mind to it, it can move surprisingly quickly, but not as fast as a cheetah. The cheetah which had circled soon caught up with the one it had targeted, but did nothing more than match every move which jackal made as it jinxed from side to side, yelping. Soon the game was over and the two cheetahs returned to their mother - which at the time had observed all the happenings and simply moved in a little closer - flopped over and stayed that way. But the good times for these two sisters will most surely soon be over. It cannot be long now before their mother chases them off so that they can start a life of their own and the serious part of survival begins. Jackal chasing will soon be over.

2 sightings of two approximately 21-month-old sisters: These two youngsters were seen only twice and towards the beginning of the game-report period. Both sightings were opposite the Mala Mala Main Camp and east of the Sand River, in a large open area favoured by prey animals such as impalas. When first found they were well fed and vultures in the area suggested that a recent kill had been made.

6 sightings of a lone relaxed adult male cheetah: This male cheetah is in superb condition and, as in the past, was encountered mostly along the general environs of the Mlowathi River which runs through the north-western parts of the reserve. In spite of the fact that he most certainly does get plenty to eat and on occasion has been followed hunting and seen sprinting in after impala or other prey, he has yet to be seen actually killing anything. Evidently he still hunts most successfully when not being watched. A year or so ago when he was first encountered, his disposition was quite different to what it is today and it was nearly impossible to approach him.

2 sightings of a semi-nervous male cheetah on eastern Flockfield. The animal was wary of vehicles so viewing was restricted.

One sighting of a young male cheetah on NW Mala Mala. This cheetah was not entirely relaxed in the presence of vehicles, but was seen running in after a herd of impala. It missed and then continued hunting, walking along one of the recently burned firebreaks, areas favoured by impala and other small antelope which come to eat the fresh growth.

8 sightings of perhaps as many as three or four different female cheetahs. There were three sightings of a single female cheetah on SE Charleston and these were certainly probably of the same individual on each occasion. At the one sighting she was found with a freshly killed young male impala. As it turned out, she was most lucky to get away with it and eat as much as her belly could hold; not far from where she was feeding, a hyaena and a young leopard were found patrolling around and neither of them detected the food. On the day that the above cheetah was on the impala kill, another female cheetah was found several kilometres further north on the central parts of the Charleston/ Flockfield boundary and hunting. When last seen, she was pursuing a duiker which she had flushed, this after dedicatedly working an area where she sensed the presence of the small antelope. Unfortunately the chase took both hunter and prey through some difficult terrain and they could not be relocated. Given this and the good start which the cheetah had, it is quite likely that she had managed to catch the duiker. A female cheetah seen 10 days prior to this and not far from this position may have been the same animal. There were 3 other sightings of single female cheetahs in July, two west of the Sand River and almost certainly of the same animal, the other of a female moving dedicatedly east from the Mala Mala bridge towards the eastern parts of the reserve. Of the former 2 sightings, the first occurred close to the Mala Mala airstrip and the cheetah stalked within striking distance of some impala, but failed to catch one.

2 sightings of a female cheetah and her two approximately 2-month-old cubs. These sightings occurred towards the north-eastern parts of Mala Mala, the second being of the trio moving into the Kruger National Park. Although the female cheetah showed little concern, the cubs were not comfortable with the presence of a landrover and viewing was restricted. There is a chance that the female is the mother of the two approximately 21-month-old's seen on various parts of the reserve over the last few months. These two spent their initial few months in this same area which is characterised by open areas as well as fine places of concealment. In the early stages of a cheetah's life the mother has to be particularly careful not to attract attention to her presence in an area. She only needs to hunt for herself - at least directly - since the youngsters are still only drinking milk, but needs to do so cautiously. Too much noise and disturbance will not only unsettle the prey and make hunting more difficult, but would also alert her many competitors to the area, increasing the chances not only of her food being stolen, but also of the cubs being killed. It would also force her and the cubs to move, this not only increasing the risk of encountering some or other threat, but wasting precious energy too.

June 2001

2 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 17-month-old daughters: These three cheetahs which have delivered such fine viewing over the past nearly one-and-a-half years were only seen twice during June and both sightings were towards the end of this game report period. Nonetheless, in spite of the paucity of viewing, it was about as dramatic as cheetah viewing could be. Both sightings were within a short distance of the Mala Mala Main Camp and when they were first found, they were in a large open area opposite the camp and east of the Sand River, a location favoured by impala for the productive vegetation, water and open spaces. What the cheetahs did not know was that four lions were lying up on a ridge only a few hundred meters away, preparing for their nightly hunt. By the time the cheetahs had seen a large herd of impala, the sun was close to disappearing over the western horizon and for a while it appeared as if nothing would happen. It is unusual for cheetahs to hunt at night, the time when their major enemies such as lions, hyaenas and leopards are perhaps most active. Anyway, the herd of impalas proved irresistible, particularly when they all started moving in the direction of the cheetahs. One of the young cheetahs waited on the one flank and slightly ahead of the column of impalas, whilst her sister and mother slunk around and behind their quarry. A perfect trap and when the rear pair rushed in, the cheetah waiting ahead suddenly had a splinter group rushing directly towards her. A large male impala jumped high over her head but landed badly and was not as quick to recover as he could have been, giving the young cheetah time to spin around and take off in pursuit. In typical cheetah fashion, the acceleration was stunning and she caught up with it within 50 meters. But luck was on the side of this impala and as her claws touched his rear legs, he ran through a small bush, enough to throw the cheetahs rhythm and allow him to escape. On the other side of things the chase was longer but relatively hazard-free and the second young cheetah caught a half-year-old male impala. As she wrestled it to the ground, her mother and sister ran in and assisted, already biting into the antelope as it was being strangled. But the shock of the assault caused the survivors of the herd of impala to snort and bark, alerting all others for kilometres around. Never ones to pass up on a potential free meal, the lions on the nearby ridge came running in and were on the scene in less than a minute. Fortunately the cheetahs saw them approaching, dropped their prize and fled. The poor impala was still not dead and sprang to its feet the moment it was released. But the lions were too quick for him and caught him before he could recover sufficiently to escape. For the cheetahs the loss of their prey must have been frustrating, but at least they escaped with their lives. Not ones to invite further risks, the three crossed the Sand River and headed directly to the Mala Mala airstrip, an area of security often used by them and other cheetahs. Three days after this incident the trio were back on the airstrip, this time directing most of their energies to chasing other animals in the area, particularly some zebra and wildebeest. In spite of the loss of the impala some days ago, these cheetahs are getting plenty to eat and certainly have the energy to devote to 'training' chases. Soon after they had cleared the airstrip of other animals and were resting up towards one end, two nyala emerged from the bushline bordering the runway. Nyala are not noted for their speed on open plains and the short-cut which this pair had taken to go from one patch of bush to the other looked set to produce a classic cheetah kill. But the three cheetahs were sort of caught unawares and were too hasty in their approach, allowing the Nyala to escape. But all in all two fine pieces of action from this trio. Just how long they will stay together cannot be known, but the day when the mother abandons her two daughters cannot be far off.

13 sightings of two approximately 20-month-old sisters: These sisters - the one of which has a most noticeable white tuft on the end of her tail - have continued to provide some great viewing. Most sightings of them this month were in the central parts of the reserve. They were seen making at least three kills, all of these steenbok and in the open. Two of the kills took place within a kilometre of each other and in less than 24 hours. In some ways these two seem more reluctant than usual to venture extensively into thick bush, entering only so far and then retreating to the open areas. Perhaps this is due to them being young and relatively inexperienced and also a little unfamiliar with the territory, but their apprehension seems perhaps greater than is usually experienced with cheetahs. On one occasion they ventured further south than they have been seen doing before and encountered a young male leopard. As far as hierarchy of predators go, cheetahs usually rank low down on the list and it is expected that they would give ground to most others. But these two grew up with a mother more aggressive than most and on several occasions she was seen standing up to lions and leopards and even, on one instance, aggressively pursuing an adult male leopard which took flight. So when the young leopard approached these two cheetahs, they did not flee with the alacrity he was perhaps anticipating. Certainly they did not seek confrontation and did withdraw, but not with undue haste. Anyway, this meeting may have somewhat unnerved the cheetahs and they turned around and headed north once more.

7 sightings of a lone relaxed adult male cheetah: This male was again seen mostly around the open plains areas of the Mlowathi River. Although he was seen hunting on several occasions, he was never actually seen making a kill. Nonetheless, his condition is quite superb and his body language conveys a level of confidence which could only come from an animal getting more than enough to eat.

3 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her approximately 4-month-old cub (age as per the beginning of the Game report period): These cheetah were seen towards the end of last months game-report period and these sightings continued as they stayed around the general area of the Mala Mala airstrip for another few days.

2 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 6-month-old cubs. These three were seen only twice, both encounters in the area of the Mala Mala airstrip. The first sighting took place one mid-afternoon when they had just killed a young impala. Fortunately for the cheetahs, their kill was not taken by some or other competitor in the predator-dense environs of the Mala Mala airstrip. The following morning the trio were sleeping off their full bellies close to the runway. But tragedy was to strike. News from neighbours was that, in a freak accident, the female had later impaled herself on a sharp stump as she pursued some or other prey. The helpless youngsters were captured and taken to a cheetah rehabilitation centre.

1 sighting of a single cheetah on the Mala Mala airstrip. This sighting was at night and so was but a passing glance and the next morning the cheetah had gone. Policy at Mala Mala is to avoid shining lights on cheetahs at night, this due to the fact that their eyes appear very sensitive to light and not as quick to recover as some of the other creatures, most notably some of their fiercest enemies such as lions, leopards and hyaenas, creatures more likely to be out on the prowl after dark.

Approximate number of different cheetah encountered: 12

May 2001

17 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 16-month-old daughters: As these two youngsters approach maturity, so the demand for food will become greater, not only as a result of their bigger size, but also due to them spoiling an increasing number of hunts as they take part in the process of acquiring their prey.
This month there were sightings of this trio over many parts of the reserve, but most were towards the northern areas. On one occasion the mother was seen catching a female impala and then allowing the two youngsters to do the actual killing. These sights are generally not pleasant to watch, but are hopefully important lessons for the young cheetahs. Then, later in the month, in a wide open area, all three cheetahs started chasing a group of impala which had amongst them a youngster which must have been born much later than the others. Although this young impala seemed to outlast the adult female cheetah as she sprinted after the herd, it failed to follow its mother into the protective bush-line surrounding the open area and doubled back. This proved fatal. The two young cheetahs which had been loping at half-pace behind their mother and had plenty of air still in their lungs then took up the chase and easily overhauled the now flagging impala. As this was taking place, a group of wildebeest which were also in the open area added to the confusion as they started chasing the adult female cheetah. Nothing came of this incidental little incident with the wildebeest and the mother cheetah soon joined her daughters as they feasted upon their kill.
With these lessons now quite obvious, it could be anticipated that the day will soon come when the mother finally abandons her daughters and sets about raising another litter.

Only a few days before the two youngsters killed the impala, an adult male cheetah was seen in the area where the trio had just been operating. He smelled the area with great interest and then spray urinated wherever he could. Perhaps his keen sense of smell detected the presence of the adult female and perhaps she was showing signs of oestrus.

6 sightings of two approximately 19-month-old sisters: This pair was abandoned by their mother some months ago and seems to have been doing well for themselves. Although they have not actually been seen making any kills, their body condition indicates that they have been doing well for themselves. During their first month or so of being on their own, the two sisters appeared to spend most of their time in the area where they had spent their very early months. During May, however, they were seen to venture much further afield, surely a sign of growing confidence. The next big step will of course be when they finally split up and go their separate ways.

8 sightings of a lone relaxed adult male cheetah: All sightings were towards the north of the reserve and most close to the environs of the Mlowathi River. On one occasion he was seen carefully smelling in an area where a female cheetah and her two teenage daughters had been hunting, perhaps scenting the adult coming into oestrus. He was also spray-urinating all over the area, clearly leaving his scent for them to detect. This exercise was interrupted by the sounds of a rutting male impala on the opposite bank of the Mlowathi River. The cheetah headed directly towards the sound and, when close by, stopped to stalk forwards. The male impala making all the noise was unaware of his presence and in one of his territorial displays ran straight into the cheetah. Unfortunately the chase took both predator and prey into long grass and scrubby bush and it proved impossible to locate them. However, it is almost certain that the cheetah caught the impala - just another victim of the rutting season. That evening the mother cheetah and her two daughters emerged and showed great interest in these freshly scented spots.

1 sighting of a nervous adult male cheetah on the central parts of Mala Mala, close to the boundary with the Kruger National Park.

1 sighting of a relaxed adult female on central Flockfield. This cheetah has a noticeably short tail.

1 sighting of a relaxed female cheetah on NW Mala Mala. This slightly smaller than average cheetah was found hunting in the general area of the Mala Mala airstrip. Although she made several attempts on groups of impala, she was not seen to have any success.

1 sighting of a relaxed adult female cheetah on the western boundary of Charleston and Toulon.

5 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her approximately 4-month-old cub: All sightings were on the Mala Mala airstrip. At one stage they shared this area with the afore-mentioned female with two 16-month-old daughters. Both groups of cheetahs were aware of each other, but aside from viewing each other over a distance and with obvious suspicion, did not make physical contact.

April 2001

7 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 15-month-old daughters: For the early and mid parts of this month these three cheetahs stayed around the south-western regions of the reserve and then, towards the end of April, moved to the Mala Mala airstrip. No great dramas were witnessed, but the young females are in tip-top condition and so are evidently getting plenty to eat which, particularly at this stage of their lives when they are bordering on the stage of independence, is most important. When young cheetahs start participating in the hunting, it can be a most delicate time. Not only are they growing fast and need more food every day, but their keen but often inept participation results in more failures than successes. But it is a stage they must go through. It can be expected that the mother will abandon these youngsters within half a year or so.

2 sightings of two approximately 18-month-old sisters, these both towards the north-eastern parts of Mala Mala. By all accounts their mother has recently abandoned them. Judging from their good physical condition, however, they have certainly been getting enough to eat. Interestingly, they have been spending the first parts of their days of independence in the same general area where they were first seen in December 1999. At the time the mother had three cubs. Their mother has always been regarded as a powerful and dedicated female cheetah and her abilities are no better realised than in the raising of two of the three cubs to the point of independence, particularly in this area with its high density of competing predators.

7 sightings of lone adult male cheetahs: There is some confusion as to whether there is one adult male cheetah in this area or if there are in fact two. All sightings have been on the most northerly of the Mala Mala properties, Eyrefield. If it is only one cheetah, then its behaviour varies from being nervous one day to relaxed the next. Hopefully there will shortly be clarification on this matter.

March 2001

5 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 14-month-old daughters. These sightings were towards the beginning and end of this game-report period when the cheetahs again spent much of their time on the Mala Mala airstrip, using it as a springboard for launching hunting expeditions into the surrounding bush and retreating to the security of the open grassland. Towards the end of the month they were seen killing a young impala. Judging by the condition of the youngsters, they are certainly getting enough to eat and look well set to soon face life on their own, something which will happen when their mother abandons them in the next few months. 5 sightings of probably the same adult male cheetah, all of them towards the north and western parts of the reserve, close to the open areas which parallel the Mlowathi River. This cheetah is usually fine to view, but, upon occasion, acts nervously in the presence of vehicles. He was seen on at least two impala kills over the course of this month.

February 2001

10 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 16-month-old daughters. All encounters were towards the north of the reserve along the banks of the Mlowathi River. This particular adult female has a history of showing great courage in the face of her enemies and this month was no exception when they were chased by one of the Mlowathi Male lions. As the lion ran in, the female cheetah stood her ground, hissing and snarling, quite the opposite of what the lion would have expected. In the end he had to turn away, realising that he would never ever manage to catch them and that his efforts to intimidate them were not working. At their current age and condition it cannot be long now before the cubs are abandoned by their mother and left to their own devices. 7 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 13-month-old daughters. As has occurred over the last year or so, these cheetah were again seen on and around the Mala Mala airstrip, the youngsters amusing themselves by chasing whatever was there, whilst the mother would of course use the open area to scout for danger. 2 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 15 or 16 month-old daughters. These were seen on the south western parts of the reserve and it is highly likely that they were the same trio described immediately above. At the time when they were seen the others had vacated the Mala Mala airstrip and headed off. Given cheetah behaviour on Mala Mala, it is not unusual for the 'favourite cheetah haunts' to be rotated amongst, the various animals often travelling great distances between these 'islands of security'. 1 sighting of a single adult female cheetah on the south western regions of Mala Mala. 6 sightings of probably the same adult male cheetah, all these being on Eyrefield, the very northern part of the reserve. This particular cheetah is large and in good condition and of a particularly noticeable pale colour. His disposition is varied, sometimes so skittish that only one vehicle can view him, and at other times he appears quite indifferent. The very fact, however, that he has stayed in the area for so many months is perhaps indication enough that in spite of his occasional bursts of high-strung nervousness, the conditions are otherwise very much to his liking. His confidence too is quite obvious and towards the end of February he was seen rather playfully stalking two adult wildebeest, animals he would have not a hope of subduing on his own. As it was, he loped after them for a hundred meters of so before turning back as the wildebeest and accompanying zebra snorted in alarm. This behaviour definitely shows an animal most sure of himself. Not only would the noise of the worthless chase alert other prey animals which the cheetah could otherwise have had a good chance of catching, but it would also notify other predators, these mostly the cheetahs' enemies, that he was around. This the cheetah would surely know, particularly having grown up in such a hostile environment, but his blatant disregard conveys his attitude of confidence. Hopefully he will not end up doing something too stupid.

January 2001

1 sighting of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 15-month-old daughters. This sighting was towards the upper reaches of the Mlowathi River. These cheetahs have been around for over a year now and the youngsters represent the survivors of three. This is a good record for any cheetah in these hostile conditions. One of the cubs is easily identifiable by having a noticeably large white tuft on the end of her tail. The mother has a scar on her rear left leg. At their current age, these two sub adults are probably taking part in the hunting on a regular basis. The transition from dependence on the mother to total independence is not always easy for the young of most species of hunters. Body growth for such sub-adults is of course still rapid and so they require more food. However, this food supply is not always realised since hunting success will be reduced due to the relative inexperience of the youngsters. So although more food is required at this stage, it is not always obtained and starving can be a real worry. For this group of cheetahs, however, the transition to independence could hardly have come at a better time. With the abundance of baby animals at this time of year, hunting is always easier and there are so many more opportunities to experiment with. It could be expected that the mother would abandon her daughters within the next few months. 13 sightings of an adult female cheetah and her two approximately 12-month-old daughters. These cheetahs were last seen in September last year and at the time there were three cubs. This female has a noticeable scar on the knee of her rear right leg. All of these cheetahs appeared to be exceptionally fit and healthy. When this trio first appeared towards the beginning of this game report period, they were on the Mala Mala airstrip and stayed there for approximately a week before moving off up to the Mlowathi River system which also has several relatively large open areas where cheetahs can relax in relative safety before heading off into the surrounding areas for hunting purposes. Although the apparent health of these cheetahs testifies to their mothers' hunting success, her prowess was most clearly demonstrated over one approximately 33 hour stage when she was seen making three separate kills. The first victim was a young kudu. Although vultures arrived on the scene within a relatively short time of her killing the antelope, all cheetahs had eaten well. Whilst moving away from the squabbling vultures, something which often brings larger and stronger predators such a lions in to investigate, the mother cheetah killed a baby impala. The response to the young impala's presence was probably pure instinct from the cheetah and she did not kill it immediately. Surprisingly, the youngsters did not get involved in this either and waited for the mother to do the deed. The following evening, the mother cheetah again killed a young impala, surprisingly even after the sun had fallen. Typically cheetah do not hunt after dark when their enemies such as lions, hyaenas and leopards are more active. Two weeks after last being seen on this area of the reserve, these cheetahs again appeared on the Mala Mala airstrip, harassing the family of Jackals and any other hapless beast which happened to walk onto the airstrip. Even the warthogs experienced the exuberance of the year-old cheetah as they stalked them and gave chase. Two sightings towards the northenr regions of Mala Mala of probably the same adult male cheetah which has been seen on the reserve for some time now. This cheetah is still quite nervous when landrovers approach him, but does relax down over time.

December 2001