Masai Mara: Day 8 (Part 1: The Cheetah Brothers)

The previous afternoon had been relatively quiet by Masai Mara standards, but that is the gamble when you wait for a leopard. On the way home, we agreed to pay Shakira one more visit, purely because the cubs were soooooo photogenic. I really felt I hadn't done my best with the cheetah opportunities, mainly because Shakira was sticking to the areas with very long grass - just like a good cheetah mother should. Maybe today we would have better luck...


Driving from camp to Shakira's plain (overlooking Olkiombo Airstrip) we always passed through two small plains that are so green and so well-grazed, they looked like a golf course fairway. On the right, a pair of hyenas were pilfering the remains of a wildebeest. The light was very low and very soft, but I made the effort as hyenas are an essential character on the savannah and, all too often, they are overlooked and ignored.

We pulled up and the hyenas were very cautious. I used the 300mm f/2.8 IS L as it is the best lens for working in these conditions. It sucks in so much light and the quality of the glass keeps things nice and crisp and saturated even without the punch of sunlight. At 1/15th sec, I thought even this image stabilised lens would struggle, but the images were sharp, just as long as the hyena didn't move. They hyenas were picking up bits to run off with, so we didn't stay long.


We arrived on the plains and were soon looking for cheetahs. But the first cheetah we spotted was not Shakira, it was a lone female. From a great distance, Julius was spying at something. "I can't be sure what it is. It looks like a log." We drove closer and could just make out the outline of cheetah, hunched down and eating something. It was the leftovers of a gazelle fawn.


The cheetah had soon finished the small meal and was walking. The light was stunning - exactly what I had hoped for! The vultures and tawny eagles that had been waiting patiently in nearby bushes, started gliding down. Although vultures are ugly and ungainly on the ground, when they soar just a metre off the ground, you can't help but marvel at how graceful and beautiful they can be.


As they approach, their massive wingspan is truly awesome. They let their talons hang down like the lowering of an undercarriage on a 747. Then they touch down with a very soft landing and suddenly become just a noisy and foul tempered bird with a bald head and long neck.


Our beautiful, elegant cheetah was now lounging in the warmth of the rising sun. Lying sphinx-like on the short grass, this cheetah was soon becoming a real 'catalogue' cat! She looked left and right, laid flat, sat up, rolled over on her back with all paws in the air, reclined, and preened all within a few minutes and while the light was fantastic. It was stunning! As a photographer, I felt so lucky to be there at the right time and right place. And what made it even better? There was not a single sodding blade of grass in the way! Brilliant!!


I took full advantage of this opportunity, quickly filling up my cards with a bounty of cheetah images, over a thirty-minute period. The cheetah was even more contented than I was and continued to roll around and preen. From the left of the scene, I could see a 'confusion' of guineafowl. Their chattering was growing louder and louder as they spotted the reclining cheetah. Soon the guineafowl were in full alarm mode and squawking all over the place. They carefully massed around the cheetah, trying to cajole the cat into moving off, but this cat couldn't care less.


The guineafowl tried ganging up from the rear, but to no avail. The cheetah was simply too relaxed and not the slightest bit interested. I thought she might get up and chase them off, but she just rolled over and closed her eyes. For once, the guineafowl lost! Their chattering died off and they moved on.


We sat with the cheetah for a while longer. The sun was rising quickly and the light was losing its lustre. Julius started panning around with his binoculars, trying to locate Shakira and the cubs. On the horizon, I could see a line of elephants making their way down to the river. I took a few shots, isolating the elephants in 3s and 5s. I gave loads of room to the sky for a slightly different composition and waited for all the elephants to be in relatively the same position.

Eventually, the cheetah woke again and was thirsty. She stood up and walked down to the lugga and the small pools of water. There was no way to photograph her, so we sat back. It was then we received a radio call saying the Three Brothers (from Big Cat Diary) were close by. In fact, they were on the next plain, so we drove up to see the situation for ourselves. If it was rubbish, we could always come back again.

By the time we arrived, the cheetahs were dozing under a tree. The shade was very dark, so I left the camera on the seat. "Rubbish!" I assumed that the cheetahs would be there for the rest of the day, but another guide said that they hadn't eaten and looked hungry. "Oh really!" That changed matters. With these boys, they are always up for a hunt, no matter what time of day or whatever the prey. They have been known to take down adult male Topi, Hartebeest, and Wildebeest. I readied the camera on a beanbag.


Within seconds, the cheetahs were up and walking. Two of them (the smaller ones) played with each other. They practised neck bites and trips. The play soon turned into aggression and the larger cheetah came running in to break it up. This shot above shows the larger male looking right. He had spotted a small herd of wildebeest down the plain.


Moments later, the cheetah was bounding through the grass. It was not subtle, but the intent was clear. We all sat down as Julius drove the car down to the lower end of the plain. I kept an eye on the cheetahs and all three were trotting towards us. To the side of the wildebeest was a group of topi with young, but the cheetahs really only had eyes for the wildebeest.


The cheetahs trot slowed to a fast walk, but they kept moving without a pause. I was thinking "Where's the stalk? You're gonna be seen a mile off!" And they were. The wildebeest started to raise their heads. The three cheetahs were exposed to the skyline, but on they came. The wildebeest started huddling together, but on the cheetahs came. It was curious, but you could almost feel the confusion in the wildebeest "Err, wait, we can see you, we have all seen you, but you are still coming at us!?"


The three cheetahs blasted out of the long grass. The confusion in the wildebeest was overridden by mortal fear as the cheetahs flew. Their burst in speed was frightening! One moment they were trotting, the next, they were right among the wildebeest, which had all scattered in different directions. The cheetahs had split and were now flanking one smaller wildebeest.


The largest of the cheetah closed in on the wildebeest which was running with two others. The cheetah leapt up and slammed down on the wildebeest's hind quarters. The wildebeest tumbled and the brothers had their prize. With a 600mm lens and 1.4x converter, the action was still too far away really, but it was amazing to witness. I was speechless for quite some time. The hunting style was so different. No stalk, no careful assessment, just run in and smack down. That is the advantage of hunting in a team. Like lions, there is always another pair of claws waiting in the wings, or more muscle to help take down the larger prey.


All the jeeps now converged on the brothers. The light and heat were now fierce, with harsh shadows creating black eyes and strong contrast. I took record shots of the feast, but the blood and gore images are never that popular! Vultures were already circling above and hanging on the breeze. It is incredible how quickly they can be on the scene.



Circling vultures pose a real, but indirect threat to the cheetahs - they act like a giant flag to hyenas. Now this very real threat was making its way over the plain. A pack of four spotted hyenas had seen the commotion and were now heading across to investigate. Even three large cheetahs are no match for these massively powerful animals.


The cheetahs had managed to feed for about 10mins before the hyenas came. There was no battle, no energy wasted attempting to keep the hyenas at bay. The cheetahs simply stood up and backed off. The hyenas piled in and immediately squabbled, asserting dominance, and biting the subordinate.


After being kicked off the carcass, this hyena now had to earn his piece of meat and worked hard to chase away the flock of vultures that had gathered so quickly. The cheetah brothers had already crossed the river and were heading up the plain, away from the hyenas.

We could have followed the cheetahs, but I wanted to stay with the hyena pack and shoot the behaviour images that I had thought about for so long. This was one of the few full-blown, start-to-finish, 'savannah kills' I had seen with all the trimmings of a takeover and fighting hyenas, with a side-order of flapping vultures. Su-bloody-perb!


Most poignantly, amidst all the death, gore, and infighting, two beautiful birds continued with their courtship dance, completely unperturbed. Life always goes on!