Only the swish of a banded black and white tail alerted us to their presence. Their day had begun long before we arrived as they made their way down from the golden grasslands atop Mt Kondoa to the deep green hillsides. Driven by the need to feed, they began their stalk.
The Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus is the fastest terrestrial mammal on the African continent. They can reach speeds in excess of over 100km/h. The sibling duo of Chilli and Pepper came down from the mountains and treated us to the rare opportunity of following them on hunt. We followed them for 2 hours as they made their way from the mosaic of Nama-karoo thicket that dominates the hillsides of Kondoa Mountain to the dense riverine vegetation that grows along the Melkrivier. The hunt comprised of moments of intense concentration by the cats as they strained their senses in search of their quarry, to moments when they looked as relaxed as two cats taking a Sunday stroll. Along the way they startled a Steenbok Raphicerus campestris although this did not initiate a chase. As the bush closed in around us and visibility decreased we lost sight of the cheetahs. Suddenly there eerie silence was replaced by the distinctive crashing sound of a Kudu bull Tragelaphus strepsiceros as its horns knocked against the bushes as it fled from the two cheetahs. As the sun set over the Karoo veld we had to abandon the hunt. We found Chilli and Pepper the following morning not far from where we left them on a young kudu carcass; their skill perfected under the cover of darkness.
