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A ranger and guide from Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge, Brett Heasman, sent in this sighting of predators competing with scavengers for a freshly killed impala.
He told Latest Sightings that they followed alarm calls from monkeys, “scanned the area and noticed a cheetah in an open space”. As they watched they saw the cheetah had a fresh kill, and it was settling down to eat.
The cheetah was alone, and there’s always a risk of scavengers or rival predators like lions, hyenas or wild dogs trying to save their energy by stealing a meal.
A Meal Under Threat
The cheetah was painfully aware of this risk, as Brett said, the big cat “scanned the area for any possible scavengers that might interrupt his feast. After a few scans of the area, he finally got going” on his meal.
The coast may have been clear when the cheetah started eating, but it didn’t remain so for long. A committee of vultures rapidly began to appear around the cheetah, eyeing up its meal.
Undeterred Scavengers
Unlike hyenas which will hunt and steal, vultures are true scavengers that won’t hunt their own food, but are perfectly happy stealing carcasses from other animals.
As the cheetah tried to enjoy its meals the number of scavenging birds surrounding it grew to an almost comic number. The amount of vultures in a committee can vary wildly, but this group just seemed to grow and grow.
The cheetah tried to defend its kill, but as soon as it turned its back the birds closed in tighter and tighter. As the pressure grew, the cheetah knew that its time was up and it had to sacrifice the rest of the carcass for its own safety.
Vulture Swarm
With the cheetah out of the way, the vultures had free reign over the impala carcass. They made full use of the opportunity, swarming over the impala until it couldn’t be seen through the mass of feathers and wings.
Brett said he and his group “sat in awe, watching the vultures scurry and feast while the cheetah disappeared into the thicket”. There were so many vultures that many of them couldn’t even reach the food through the bodies of their fellows.
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Instant Karma
Despite their victory over the cheetah, the vultures only had access to the impala for a few short moments. The cheetah was wise to give up the impala when it did, as the commotion had drawn in more than Brett and his tourists.
Brett couldn’t work out what was happening at first, he said “it was chaos, vultures were scattering in a panic”, and then they saw the lion that had arrived on the scene.
The King Victorious
Quick as lightning, the lion seized the impala and took it away from the vultures where it could enjoy eating it without the hassle that the cheetah had faced. In quick succession the impala had changed hands between three different animals, with the lion emerging victorious.
Sightings like these show that even if predators aren’t actively hunting when they’re spotted, its still worth hanging around to see what happens, because it might just be action-packed and full of excitement.