She stares into the distant savannah with her small, elongated eyes, fixed onto the baby gazelle that innocently prances around with her mother, not knowing that today might even be the last day of a life she just began. The cheetah lies low, blending into the long grass so that she is not spotted by the mother gazelle. She locks her eyes onto her prey, and takes a few steps forward, moving closer to her target, inch by inch. She finds and hides behind a termite mound, closing on into her meal.
The mother gazelle knows something’s wrong, she looks around, alert, and moves closer to her baby. She senses the presence of a predator, she stands still, ready to run. She then spots a pair of eyes glaring at her from a distance. She sees the black tear lines that run from the corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth. She knows. She knows her baby is in danger. She knows the cheetah is going to attack. But what she doesn’t know, is that the cheetah isn’t alone. She has brought her whole coalition for the kill.
The cheetahs stand still, still staring at the gazelle, looking for the right moment to attack. Their ears twitch a little in excitement. The gazelle looks at her baby, one last look at the cheetah, and then bolts. The baby runs after, trying to keep up, knowing something’s wrong too. The cheetah’s body suddenly fuels up like a jet, and she uses her strong hind legs to kick at the ground, and she goes off, tail steering her body, hot on the gazelle’s tail. The rest of the coalition still waits, and the gazelle runs straight at them; she’s trapped. The gazelle tries to change her direction of course, but it’s all in vain. The rest of the cheetahs prance up, and chase her too. Within seconds the cheetahs reach a speed of 100hm/h and within seconds, the cheetahs gallop onto their prey, taking the pair down instantly, with their teeth deep into their flesh.
A day’s meal successfully earned.
5 facts about the Cheetah:
Scientific name is Acinonyx jubatus.
It is the world’s fastest mammal.
They need to drink once once every three to four days.
They can go from 0 to 60 mph in only 3 seconds.
Male cheetahs live alone or in small groups.