Watch the sighting here:
A sighting of a cheetah hunting impala took an unexpected turn when its intended prey ran into a vehicle. The impact damaged the vehicle and the injured antelope was unable to flee.
Petrus de Kock and friends submitted their record of the event to Latest Sightings. The occurrence took place at the Gasanftombi junction, near Crocodile Bridge.
Skittish
The video begins with a herd of impala moving nervously through an open area. Petrus recounted that a mother cheetah and her cubs had been spotted nearby.
Ambush launched
The cheetahs were evidently hiding in the long grass. An experienced hunter, the mother launched her attack, scattering the herd in all directions.
Her target was a sub-adult female who fled toward the line of vehicles nearby.
Headlong
As the camera pans with the fleeing impala, we see it tumble into the side of a vehicle at high speed. Such is the audible impact that it bounces back, collapsing in a heap.
The cheetah appears moments later and snatches up the stricken antelope. What happens next is unclear, as the video cuts to a new perspective.
Immobilised
The impala lies on the road, clearly injured and unable to stand, let alone flee. The cheetah, meanwhile, is standing nearby looking very skittish.
As solitary animals that often lose their prey to other predators, cheetahs are naturally timid. In this case, she struggles between her caution and the need to feed her cubs.
Giving up the prize?
At one point, she moved several metres away from the dazed impala. One can almost see her distress as she weighs up her options.
Will she abandon the food to protect herself, or risk taking it to feed her cubs and herself?
Feed the family
Ultimately, her maternal instinct wins. She tentatively approaches the impala before grabbing it by the neck.
Afterwards, the unfortunate impala hangs limply from her jaws as she drags it away.
Mixed feelings
Watching the cheetah drag the impala back to her cubs may evoke mixed feelings. Its young life was cut short, partly because of a manmade obstacle.
Conversely, the meal it will provide for the cheetah cubs will improve their chances of survival. While there is no shortage of impala in the Kruger National Park, there are only between 120 & 140 cheetahs.
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Cheetah are listed as an endangered species, with their numbers drastically reduced by human activity. Their historical range has been shrunk to a few fragmented areas, mostly within national parks.
Additionally, poaching threatens them, and their low genetic diversity makes them vulnerable to disease.
Human interference
A disturbing aspect of the video is not only the high number of vehicles present but also the illegal behaviour of many of the spectators.
While it is understandable that a cheetah sighting would attract attention, it does seem the congestion affected the outcome of the hunt.
Additionally, national park rules are clear that visitors may not leave or hang out of a vehicle at all. These rules are in place in the interests of both visitor safety and animal welfare.
Failure to comply can result in legal complications and a life-long ban from national parks.