While warthogs usually fall prey to many predators, this gang of tough warthogs showed a cheetah who was boss when they marched in while the cheetah was standing over its kill and preparing to dig in.
In the wild, it’s not just a case of making a kill and eating it. Predators need to be protective over their kill, as there are many scavengers in the wild which might try to get their fair share of the feast.
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However, while one might expect animals such as hyenas, vultures, wild dogs and jackals to try and scavenge from a kill; one would never expect warthogs to scavenge from a carcass.
This is because they are usually the prey! However, on rare occasions, the tables turn and warthogs have been known to feast from animal remains!
Rare cheetah sighting stirs excitement
This cheetah had made an impala kill near the Crocodile Bridge. The beautiful animal sat close to its trophy, looking around to see that the coast was clear, before settling down for its meal.
Said Shakera of the sighting: “We were surprised, as we didn’t expect to be this lucky so soon after arriving in the park. We also haven’t seen a cheetah in the park for years – so this was really spectacular!”
Warthogs arrive on the scene
This was when a warthog family arrived on the scene. They steadily made their way closer and closer to the impala, with the cheetah standing to attention.
A lone warthog might have not warranted the cheetah’s attention, however, the warthogs came out in numbers and the cheetah wasn’t taking any changes.
The lithesome animal moved away from the kill, as the warthogs approached and closed in on the impala remains.
Warthogs approach impala kill
Shakera expressed her surprise that the cheetah did not put up a fight for the impala, and that the warthogs seemed excited by the impala catch.
She explained how the cheetah didn’t hesitate to give way to the warthogs, surrendering the impala to them.
Warthogs move in for a feast
With the cheetah out of the way, the warthogs moved in for a feed. This astounded Shakera who said she had not realised that warthogs scavenged off kills.
“I was too excited to take pictures, so my children were left with that task. When you get to a sighting, remember to take videos, because it’s incredible to be able to re-live events like this, even when it becomes a distant memory with time. This was indeed an unusual, yet, interesting sighting. We’ve always seen a warthog eating from the ground, so being able to witness a warthog actually eating meat was baffling!”
Cheetah watches from a distance
The bewildered cheetah sat for a moment on top of a sign post, watching the scene unfold. One might have expected jackals or hyenas to stir the pot and steal the kill, but warthogs?
“We’ve never seen a warthog doing this, nor did we know that warthogs eat meat from a carcass!”
The sighting ended with the cheetah walking away from the kill. It was outnumbered and reasoned it was best to walk away.
Goes to show that every day there is something new to learn from nature and the bushveld never fails to surprise!