Ria Van Greunen witnessed four male cheetahs rise against a lone female in a breathtaking turn of events on the Mata Mata Road near the Sistas and Craig Lochardt waterholes.
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She and her family had set out in search of lions that morning. While they didn’t manage to see lions, they were in for a surprising, rare, and emotional sighting.
“Four Musketeers” Leave Game Viewers Spellbound
Having been told by passing motorists that there were cheetahs up ahead, they kept their eyes open as they drove through the open stretches of savanna. They were definitely in “cheetah territory,” with the wide open stretches of grass being its preferred habitat.
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This was when they spotted the four male cheetahs, or the Four Musketeers, as they have been fondly named.
“One could see they were really big cheetahs. We first watched them doing their usual business of playing games, rolling around in the grass, soaking up the sun,” she said.
“They later lay down in the grass on the other side of the riverbed and were completely camouflaged in the surroundings,” she said.
This was when a single female cheetah, known as Corrine, entered the territory. Ria noticed there was a fifth cheetah and watched the events unfold using her binoculars.
When the female cheetah unsuccessfully attempted to catch a springbok, the male cheetahs realised she was on their turf! This was not good news for Corrine.
Ria speaks of how emotions well up inside of her as she watches the Four Musketeers approach Corrine. As they got closer to her, they picked up pace before launching into a full-blown attack.
Male Cheetahs Launch Brutal Attack
The male cheetahs fought her with force and fury, and she did not have the upper hand.
“She fought only with her upper body every time and never lifted her back from the ground. We thought they might have broken her lower back. One could see she had an open wound on her right foreleg, and her mouth was also full of blood, and she also had some ugly bite marks on her back,” Ria said.
To add to the emotions of the moment, Ria said she had heard the sound of young cubs in the distance and had wondered whether these had been Corrine’s.
The Musketeers eventually left her alone. “Later we drove off to Kamqua for a picnic, with mixed emotions, and I was afraid I don’t want to see how a hyena or any other wild creature rips her apart. I don’t think there was a person watching with us that was not emotionally involved. All the ladies I’ve talked to shed a tear. I think some men too but they probably wouldn’t admit it.”
Male Cheetahs Settle Under The Shade Of A Tree
After the picnic, they returned to the spot where the sighting had happened.
Ria says that in the distance, she saw the Musketeers under a tree. “We sat there for another half an hour and in that time Corinne lifted her head out of the grass on numerous occasions but it was purely to focus in the direction of where the Four Musketeers were located. The emotions took over again, because we knew she was badly injured and could not stand up, so we headed back to the camp,” Ria said.
The Cheetah That Lived To Tell The Tale
As things would have it, miracles do happen in the bushveld. A few days after the attack, Corrine was again sighted, and she was alive and well. Tears were again brought to Ria’s eyes, however, this time for all of the right reasons.
Despite being outnumbered four to one, Corrine had made it!