Kuenkel R. 1978. Cheetahs - Swift Cats of the Serengeti. Geo:96-110. Keywords: 1Afr/Acinonyx jubatus/cheetah/hunting/male coalition/observation/research/Serengeti Abstract: The author is writing his story about studying cheetahs and what he experienced by accompanying a male coalition of three cheetahs. Cheetahs are the fastest and excellent hunters, but often lose their prey, stolen by other predators. They do not live in prides and so have trouble defending their kills. Injuries would impair the solitary cheetah's hunting ability. The slow death of the prey by choking is painful to watch, but the cheetah is built lightly for high speeds and its jaws and jaw muscles are not strong enough for the quick lethal bite. The author could observe a fight between his three cheetahs and other three intruders. One was killed by the owner of the territory. And later they nearly killed a cub who was entering the territory with its mother. Africa's inhabited areas are becoming smaller every year and the cheetah is being driven out.

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r hear- rrired ro spor a prideo iois,n rhc gra$ and ws kilediniandvr mFerrhNe $en a mdhe, $dciriig rbr cub! sIe hrd carefu]l!dr4ed to a hidiu Dhce berore leav

rid ir had u.doubtedlv earn rhomThe sceu orurtne had led rbe hyena

c8b is bori wirh alnon bkck fur.bu! after l0 drys ir s.ovs ai addl.tio.5l ovcrcoa! of lons. slhff-whnehai, hangins down irs back fron

rhrr rbe coar giv$ rhe cub rhe ap

dcuhny bellicose, sharp toorh.danimal shich orhtr uimah sive a

$hy had rhe hyena eareD rhe ctrbs l

rhe youqien ncr. i o theqnsitrwhich tbey re conc.aled. once, Iarmo* $.ppcd 0n some cubs, nis-rak,ns them for ! clump ot peeds

Ceoqe Fm.ie, ai ADcricai zooto.snl who works ar ihe scEngcli R*

rahs die befoie rhcy !E 3 monrhsold ca4ainLy rhe lons abse.ces of

whllc romaG cheerabs have aor oDly abour 3

sqmrcmiles each, a sinsle mlc nay

wooJed dop6 arlorded rhem,,ef.

Al Esular inr.v,h, !hey paroltedi1s boundaries and arways frarked

rocks $irh u ne. wnh $e dirTeEnr

$etrt or each bmrhfl on i$ penme

kms rhd irir penerated rhc reni-bry n wourd hlE rhreeparorjaws

by ercned chc.rah chnD-cries Iporred n)-sclro!r otmy steeping bag

Rovo A witd brnte hld (trcredaround lhe car. Six cheerahs rwhred

The fishrinc doppcd !s sudd-"nlya5 r had bqutr. Tanu and Ti$r

rhotr$ rhey had no rDnher inden'n fte bnwr o'ry Trru remained.conriiuiis ro urer chnp.cie!, he

vnh a iine sDruy oftrrine By now irwas ful righr,id r coutd see rhe vis

rahs aM f ay hrve been tooking for Ihunu4 rrnory of rhok own oneBrsrenak: the otheE had rhe mo,t

rh.n coning on acain. Ea.h rine he

crouchiq, submissiye posilion thal

lowly ponure hld io efiecr. Tlnumd risejoired $en bdher in thearack. Ar irsr- rhe !*lurcs olsub

somo son of coeiistcicc bdveen

rhE six inim.is hy peacefully besideoie rnother. Then, suddenLy. .ll

yodng m,'i$ Anonnhinsly, Tanusized him by lhe rhroa!aidcboked

I lpecurared a grear de, abour rhenotive for thn unusurl rci of muF

jcdousy mrhtrrhsn r dcrorse orrhe

chedahs rbai nales, arrhoush ,i

scci orly rhis single fighr Such bd

'r.s crD mern intur.s. xnd inuies

bleedrgnodi ! on! bile on rhe no\e

tv ied. lvirh \ho!rlns feroclr!

nshritrg offrher- sored ri rhr Ptrce

r e m a l e c h . . l . h x n d h e l n r b | " d .

Thr brcrh*s {dr! \o cxhriedby ihc itlr rhxr r[.r onb lhnced

shonry \ f o | l n r t k rDs . t i d !ed .1he !

g o n n e a ! p e c r n c h q ! P ' d ' e l a h r l ' I

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qhcwcd d rhe!hroa., rylnsro bringthr bed ro rhe grouid The orher

nood rside while Taru joined his

ruregroaned and gurded and utered

made orT. Ta.u lE. so orrhc rhrolr,

quickly rs hGbrother, slipped awaylorlowed by Tinu Throqh myticld

approaching. The gnu. spaied dEarh.rook a hesnai. dep, $ned b trot,

herd. Illere can hardly be anorher

rour of us raipsed ov* rhe prrin,lnoDped nov and rhen. cliobedonro

.nd wondertd hoy r courd drawlhen cnrloi ropEy. rdid norhav.

or Tommles in rhe dnkn.. ri lhe

serens{i, rhe cheetah letrns ro hunr

cubs re abourive non.hs otd. ftenfrorher will occasionally dras r liviie rrwn hone lor rhem 10 cndiceon. Tanu, Tdu aid Tiss h,d obvi-

arr rhe huit I saw, lheir gazelle

open. He ssens ro look only ar rhe

rhs toop . sudden ly , rhe buck

rhe herd. Tanu t eezes. He seens roknow thd 3 nove iow will send rhe

The berd soes back !o broPsing.sTanu inches np. Hh brorhfls h8ng

sazellE :eem ro sense somerhinsiapp l i en0y ' l housn . l heydono lv ln tto dasn aray unneceserily ^!

darceabdi,hemmddrhorhad'.pho vill cive rbe sici,lror frichr

flickins ofhh kir lr/iire r am ryins

seleckd. he run: ou1 of rhe Eras

sway does he powcr i o .he snceful

rry hos rhe chcdah kccps tra.k in

uses hir 1!il like a tudder to helph ims t | ' n r cugn lhc$ddmlums 'wirh i s*eep ofhh pa{j he ferh iheTonny, selzes n by rhe !hroa!, and

.ou^e has very lirlle ro do vjrh in-

the sldes ofi6 head Thk sives n a

ally lookinc our of rhe corner ofirs

s.t a sood look ar lhe sround in

enjoy the merl Taitr needs l0 min'

iron the chase before he si jointhem They have pulled lhe sazelle

ldt{ and vuuuresi rhe bnds cncfinsibove coDld ahc! hyenas tf rhelr.eloadeB come anyway, one ol$.rhree Rill feint an anack ar theh

lftbe chedahs aEinally d ven oll,rhey will a! kan lelve vith rhcn

Between 10,000 and 40,000 liom-son: Eizelles pErh.ps 2 percenr ol

delrh oa.hc Torny by cboking h

built lisnily for hish speeds; its ja*:an'r jaw nuscles are nor nroige ioUeh lo r l hequ ick ' l c l ha lb i l eo f

lbout selen minu16, and the zebraroah and snu rhe brorhcB brousntdoPn rhil. I w6 wnh thcn look

I .oo had nor ealsn ror rhiee day3.

hlnds. I had wanred ro expeicnceror myselr whlr n meanio b. rorally

nancc againn rne anih.ls . Altsrhre. drys of huns.r, dnring shichrhey had fou$! hard foi $en krno-

make a dnng hunr. I, on rh. orherhand, s*e.red fiom ye*nes and

nuffed my hand inro my hlveisack.

frankfuftenj dricd breadi bakedb@ni, The opulenr neal I had prom-kcd mysert Ms nor ro b.. Af..r aeNase,I was roo tired to ear morc.

Nexr d!y, I looke,l a! rhe sDo!

s@lle. The chcdahs had sone,

calline aicr rhem. I felr deseded. Ishoured then nan6. Th.i I .ane !o

mak. or.he noh.? I ssithed to anrmilie chirping

dier. Srill no succ.s. I sor our or!h. c0 and besan searchins.It *asin vainl rhcy had had enougn ofme.

roo. The schoorboy nor.books in-hich r had rtu.n my obseflarionsver. frrll. My Eas ranks. on !h. orher

ju* enoush 1ei to ger me back to

rion on th. rhol. ,lain. ft ea abrioi lnd baurifur day dd r brak,

dmc.r, but rh. feeliu af *ellbeinsI shoDld hre had v6ju*no.6.r..I was $inkins about rhe tubrc ofcheeons and *ond.ring how lons

nulled Ihe rhousnt rhat ir -as not lneabsurd jElset fisuie *ho Iikes achehn on a lash nor rhe aEb

hun6 *ho threatens their luture.

.onfriclinc inlere*s of cheebh3 aodhumans, The .heehn is . redibrialanimal. A spread rich in same is ft-quir.d ro n.inr.in suffcienr brced-

tious .nd rifrid .ninals, le$ able bber rhe rcdvnies ol man rhan rhe

bhck rooularion-3 b 3,5 percent a

beconing snarld. In Kenya, Tan-zania, Somalia and rhe ltbiopianhishlandr th. srowth h pdiculdly

driven out, ln rhe Sahel zoie, b+

thcrc has b€n d cnormous srcsthor callc h.rds, Gd.ll.s ac b.insdisplaced and uithour then thechc.6n wi no! su ivc tor lons.

de@ia sicknes to laEe Dra olElniopia and Sonali, and discouF

sure ol havi4 .nouEh rmn. Nowlnc 6c6. ny is alndr sde .nd rhe

ln Kcny4 o l&* ot Eii p!.venled

of srowins in rh. dry gnsdandsmeais rhlr onethnd ofrh. rand €nbe rld..n, I sae the rsuns in ea*-.rn K.nya, bred 6.lds or naiz., a

bscly my wild animah left.It is probable rhat rh.re are o'Jy

h'lr s nany ch.dahr roday 4 rhereBere io 1960. Twnty yem henc.,say rne pesimisb, rh.re vill be onlya conple or muscum-pie. chc.r.hsin rh. sird lnd perhaps 2i000 or so innationil pdks, And even rhe latd*illnot lat lonsirhcirrarity *ill, ofcouse, excne de covetousnes or

On th. ev.ning aner my r.rud

ov* for a de.l a. dr lorely Serc-nda wildjire Ir&. n.r ln. park

"w113! s. you d.inl hft1 a"I v. ben dudyinc chc.rahs.'' 'Oh, cd.1 yo! set ne . chPr.h

r gor up and rcft. tr