Kalahari Cheetah Kills
Well, we would like to share our experience of photographing cheetahs in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, as there are some important learnings for other visitors.We have been visiting African national parks for over 15 years and we had not seen a cheetah in the first few years as we used to rush around the parks reading the visitor comments book at each camp and then race off to the sighting area, only to findò€¦ nothing!
We then changed our strategy to stop and watch any animal ò€“ just enjoying their behavior - we found that our predator sightings increased and now when we visit the Kalahari we are rewarded with cheetah sightings every time.
Our most exciting Cheetah sighting
We watched an entire sequence of a cheetah stalking a springbok for two hours and then chasing it, catching it ò€“ not by tripping it like we see on most TV programs, but by jumping onto its back ò€“ killing it and then feeding on it with her cub, which she had hidden under some bushes during the kill.
The whole event took four hours and we were the only witness - even though at least ten cars had driven past us they did not even stop as they could see only springboks (and not the cheetah that was hidden behind a tree or sand dune).In addition we have seen cheetahs chasing and killing an ostrich, and chasing Tessebe and wildebeest.
The lessons to be learnt here are:
*Be patient ò€“ nature has its own time.
*To obtain these types of unique photographs be prepared to endure uncomfortable circumstances. You can imagine how hot it was, midday ò€“ December ò€“ Kgalagadi ò€“ no shade!
*Donò€™t fixate on lions and other predators ò€“ learn to enjoy all animals. Keep in mind that springboks and other less exciting animals are the food of the predators and if you stop to watch them you may be provided with a great photographic opportunity.
*When you are visiting national parks stop and speak to other visitors ò€“ you may not be able to see what they are watching and if you donò€™t ask you may miss the sighting of a lifetime!