Cheetah were born to chase. I am sharing what I call a “story telling” series below; these images are not meant to be “great shots” but in my opinion they show the behavior of a chase very well.
To set the scene, there are two cheetah, waiting for the perfect opportunity to hunt. As it starts to gently rain the cheetah prepare and move closer to a herd of wildebeest. The rain can distract their prey and cheetah are very aware of this. As the cheetah make their way closer to the herd they are selecting their target. Cheetah are not large animals and a full grown, healthy wildebeest would be very hard to take down on their own. Two cheetah would have a better chance but it would still require a lot of work. They are also looking for a wildebeest that is not too young as the very young are still in mother’s care and a female would fight for her young. One year old wildebeest are out of mother’s care and are left to fend for themselves, so that would be a good target for them. Also, an injured, sick or old adult would make a good target.
Having an idea of the behavior is very good when trying to capture a chase. It is imperative to keep both eyes locked on the cheetah at all times as they stalk their prey.
The first image (left to right) starts when the young wildebeest decides to stop running and turn to defend itself. I call it the Stand-off. The second image shows the wildebeest as he decides to charge the cheetah, hoping to use its horns. In the third image you see the second cheetah coming into the frame. It is at this point you know the wildebeest will not make it. The fourth image is the Take-down. Note the way the herd in the background reacts. They are moving on as they realize the chase is over and the young wildebeest is supper.
Our 2021 Tanzania trip is full. Plans are under way for a 2022 trip. Those interested can get on the interested list by emailing me or responding in this post. Thank you. Tentative dates: March 15-25th.