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Gavin Newfield and Mika Solomon were staying in the Ivory Tree Lodge at the Pilanesberg Game Reserve when they caught this sighting of a serval facing off against a cheetah, while a wildebeest watched from afar.
Gavin told Latest Sightings that they stopped the car because they “saw a distant wildebeest mimicking the aesthetic of a buffalo”, but they quickly saw the serval instead.
This serval wasn’t going to be the only cat they saw though, as several cheetahs drew close as well.
Chaotic Cats
The cheetah coalition didn’t seem to be in a hurry to be anywhere, and when they noticed the serval too, one went to investigate it in a little more detail.
The serval saw the cheetah approaching and instantly got defensive against the larger cat, no doubt feeling threatened by its proximity. Some larger cats like leopards will prey on servals, but this cheetah didn’t seem to be acting violently.
Small But Feisty
The face off lasted several minutes, with the serval raising its back but refusing to give any ground against the inquisitive cheetah. Whether or not the cheetah was planning to try and eat it is unknown, it may have just been defending its territory.
Gavin said that “the sighting held my attention like the nerd in the front seat at school”, as the two cats continued to approach each other, each of them clearly waiting for the other to initiate a fight.
Territorial Felines
Cats are incredibly territorial animals, and although it’s rare that they will fight each other, infringing upon another’s space can often bring them to blows.
If this serval entered into the cheetah coalition’s territory, it took a risk in doing so, and it’s unlucky that it got caught.
For predators, fighting each other and being injured and unable to hunt is simply not worth the risk, so before the claws come out there is often a lot of posturing to try and scare an opponent away. This little serval is trying its best to make itself look big, but it just can’t compare to the size of the cheetah.
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Lightning Fast Escape
Although it wasn’t giving up any ground, the little serval clearly understood that this was a fight it was going to lose. One of the cheetahs alone was far too big for it to beat, and there were four of them, and a wildebeest, watching.
It took the opportunity to escape as soon as it presented itself, and Gavin said it ended the sighting “when the serval took an opening to exit the battle for territory”. The cheetah gave sudden chase, but the serval was small and nimble.
It’s unknown whether or not the serval managed to escape in the end, but given a cheetah’s far superior speed, if it came down to a chase the cheetah could have caught it.
Watching their fellow chase the serval, the other three cheetah’s apparently felt the need to look busy and, as Gavin describes it, “chased the wildebeest beyond human sight and just like that it was over.”