Buffalo Camp is aptly named. On a recent game walk, we set out after breakfast heading for the dam near Buffalo Camp – because buffalo had been spotted there. En route, we saw various different birds and interesting animal tracks, and also heard the buffalo.
We moved in the direction of the sound, and there they were: a herd of about 60 buffalo, calmly drinking water. They had no idea we were watching them, because both the wind and the sun camouflaged us from sight and scent. After taking all the photos we wanted, we left; the buffalo still had no idea we’d been in their midst.
Walking back to camp, I heard vervet monkeys give an alarm call quite close to where we were standing. There was rumour of a predator in the area, so I scanned the bush to see if I could spot one. No luck though, because the grass was long and provided perfect camouflage for them. But the monkeys had spotted it already.
We continued walking back to camp, hopped onto a game-viewing vehicle and headed out to search for what the monkeys had seen. It didn’t take us very long to find the prize. Sitting on top of a termite mound, looking regal, was a young female cheetah. I had never seen her before on the reserve, so this was a special sighting already.
She sat there quite calmly, sniffing the air every so often. That’s what cats do when they’re on the hunt. They can literally smell their next meal. After about 20 minutes, she got up and started walking towards a dry dam nearby. Now out of the long grass and walking down the sand road, the young cheetah continued to sniff the air. Not even a minute later, she lay down in the road. She’d spotted an impala ram about 80 metres away. He was in mortal danger and didn’t even know it. Instead, he continued browsing, tree to tree, believing he was perfectly safe.
The cheetah, crouched low, started stalking the impala and got to 20 metres from him before she was spotted. He ran and she gave chase, running right past our vehicle in the scurry. She ran the impala towards a nearby gully. He slipped and fell. Then quickly got up again. But the cheetah was too quick. She tapped the impala on the back and managed to pull him down. Immediately she went for the throat to suffocate the animal. Very quickly it was all over.
Before starting her meal, the cheetah seemed to pose for photos alongside her prize. Once she’d caught her breath, she was ready to feed. So we left her to enjoy her brunch – and noted another amazing day at the ‘office’.
Written and photographed by Almero Klingenberg – Buffalo Camp
Edited by Keri Harvey
