We often get asked by our guests how fast certain animals can run, so here are the running speeds of a few common African animals.

African lion                                     80-100km/h             

Cheetah                                           100-150km/h                                   

Leopard                                           85-90km/h                           

Elephant                                           40-55km/h                           

White Rhino                                     45-50km/h               

Buffalo                                              55-60km/h                           

Giraffe                                               60-70km/h                           

Zebra                                                65-70km/h

Ostrich                                              65-70km/h                           

Impala                                               65-75km/h                           

Hippopotamus                                 35-40km/h               

Olympic human athlete                   35-37km/h

So it goes to show… that the next time you are out on a bush walk and an animal decides to come for a closer inspection of us humans, the best thing to do is not to run, since they are almost all faster than us.

Dean Robinson

Head Ranger

Kapama Main Lodge