The rare sighting was filmed in the Kruger National Park.
Sinead remembers well how the encounter unfolded. She explained: “Halfway down the H1-6 from Letaba to Mopani, where the S50 begins, we saw a cheetah stalking an impala at a waterhole.”
She shared her clipping with Latest sightings.
Shadowy figure hidden by long grass
Sinead and her family were driving through the reserve when they became aware of the silhouette of an animal moving slowly through the long grass.
With its long expanses of grass, this was cheetah territory. Judging from the shape of the animal’s head and by the way it moved, Sinead and the occupants of her vehicle correctly identified it as a cheetah.
The cheetah continued to move through the grass with purpose, keeping its body low.
It soon became evident why. An impala ram was just ahead. The cheetah was stalking the buck!
With their vehicle now stopped, Sinead began to film. Cheetahs are rare to sight in the Kruger. This one was hunting.
Impala becomes aware of cheetah’s presence
The impala soon became aware something was off and lifted its head to alert.
Sinead explained: “Whenever the impala looked his (the cheetah’s) way, he would freeze, and then resume stalking when the buck looked away again.”
The tension in the air was palpable. At any moment, the cheetah could strike.
The buck stood ready to run if necessary. Its head scanned the grasslands.
Thanks to its spots, the cheetah was well camouflaged. It coordinated its movements with the impala’s.
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However, before long, the impala realised what was happening and sighted the cheetah.
With the impala fully aware of the cheetah, for the cheetah it was now or never.
Impala starts to run from threat
The impala started to run as the cheetah burst forth from the long grass. However, there was a surprising twist.
Sinead recounted the moment: “When the impala eventually saw him and bolted, we saw not one, but two cheetahs running!”
Second cheetah emerges from hiding
As it turns out, the second cheetah had been too well camouflaged to spot! Sinead said she believed the first one might have even have been the distraction.
These cheetahs were masters at hunting and had successfully approached the impala, without it noticing their presence until the final moment.
The cheetahs ran out in full view, displaying their impressive, agile forms. However, the chase soon disappeared from view and Sinead explained: “Unfortunately they just couldn’t get close enough, and the hunt was lost.”
In spite of having lost sight of the hunt, Sinead learned just how skillful cheetahs are at hiding their presence from their desired prey. Even the game viewers had been unaware of the full nature of the attack, until the cheetahs burst forth.
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Cheetah hunts are always breathtaking to watch, mostly because of the beauty of the species and the mastery cheetahs have at speed. We’ll keep you updated with the latest Kruger National Park News. Click here to join our WhatsApp group.