Cheetah cubs will typically only stay with their mother for a little over a year before they strike out by themselves to survive in the big wide world. In that time, cheetah moms have to make sure they teach their cubs how to survive, and that means how to find food.
This little family excursion was caught on camera in the Maasi Mara in Kenya, and not only does it show three cheetah cubs having a great day out with mom, the footage demonstrates that she has a lot on her plate with teaching them to hunt, while also keeping them safe.
Family Activities
The three cubs were already starting to look quite large, meaning it couldn’t have been long before they’d be striking out on their own. Until then, their mother was maintaining a constant vigilance over them and keeping them safely in sight.
She was also keeping an eye out for a potential meal. Not only would it make an excellent teaching opportunity, but they all needed to eat something to ensure they stayed healthy.
The cubs weren’t concerned with such important matters, however, not when there were rocks and trees to scramble over, and a whole world to explore. They just wanted to play, not work, but after a little bit of climbing around they returned to her.
Adult Responsibilities
Making sure the cubs ate was one of the mom’s top priorities, but she also needed to make sure nothing ate them. They were in an open field, perfect for her to use her speed to catch prey, but if she could sneak around in the tall grass then so could others.
An adult cheetah would be an extremely difficult catch for a desperate rival, but an undefended cub would be easy meat to any other predators in the area.
The whole time this cheetah mom was surveying their surroundings, she needed to keep these two priorities evenly balanced. It looked safe, and that meant she could dedicate her time to hunting, and making sure her cubs got a good meal.
Target Sighted
It looked like this was going to be this cheetah family’s lucky day. A herd of impala calmly grazing made for a perfect meal, and an even more perfect teaching opportunity. The adult cheetah crouched down low in the tall grass, using it as cover, and the hunt began.
Despite their earlier restlessness, the three cubs did stop playing around and sat still long enough to watch her hunt. It’s important for them to watch her technique so that they can try to emulate it later.
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Dinner Is Served
With her ability to sneak up close to the impala, and her speed once they ran, the cheetah mother was able to bring down a member of the herd and use it to provide her cubs with a good meal.
After watching her from a distance, they hurry back to her side so that they can enjoy the meal. Hopefully they watched the hunt very closely, so soon enough they’ll be living on their own, and looking to bring down their own prey.