There was tension along the Black Rhino Concession in the Pilanesberg as Grant Fendick watched a cheetah coalition defend its kill against a pack of hungry wild dogs.
Grant sent his footage of the encounter to Latest Sightings, saying they “had come across three cheetah brothers that had just killed a wildebeest”.
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This alone would have been an amazing sighting, but Grant and his group quickly noticed how “the cheetahs seemed very skittish and nervous, they had obviously sensed something was out of place”.
Intruders Arrive
The pack of wild dogs arrived soon. With the kill being so recent, they must have been in the area and heard the commotion of the battle, then hurried over to see if they might get some scraps.
Like almost all other predators, these wild dogs are more than happy to take an easy meal from their competition, and free food that they haven’t had to spend the energy to catch themselves would be ideal for the pack.
The cheetahs were well aware of the risk that they might lose their own hard-won meal, which was all the more vital for them to replenish the energy they’d expended in bringing the wildebeest down.
A Good Old-Fashioned Standoff
The cheetahs weren’t about to let the dogs steal their kill, and the dogs knew that they had the upper hand in numbers. Neither side wanted to actively fight the other, as speed and endurance were crucial for both animals to hunt in the future, and injury could affect this.
What followed was a necessary game of posturing and threatening behavior, as each animal tried to convince the other that a fight wasn’t going to be worth their time, and scare them away.
One of the cheetahs stood sentry while several wild dogs danced around it, looking for all the world like pets playing a game. This game had high stakes for both animals, however, and the losers would go hungry.
Dancing Dogs Dangerously Close
The wild dogs were happy to keep their distance at first, as if scoping out just how much they could antagonize the cheetahs. Quickly, they started dancing in closer and closer, only to dart away when one of the cheetahs looked likely to give chase.
It was a bad position for the cheetahs to be in; if they didn’t stay close to the wildebeest, the dogs would snatch the carcass from beneath them, but it meant they had to remain static while the dogs slowly surrounded them completely.
The slightest display of weakness from the cats, and the dogs would charge in and steal the meat of the wildebeest, and against such numbers, the cheetahs couldn’t last forever.
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Score One To The Dogs
All it took was for several of the dogs to dance close to the kill, and the cheetahs gave way. In seconds, one of the dogs had seized the wildebeest and started dragging it away while others continued to challenge the cheetahs and keep them at bay.
With their food stolen and dogs in every direction, there wasn’t much the cheetahs could do other than flee. Fighting directly would be futile as the cheetahs were outnumbered, and they needed to stay healthy if they were going to be able to catch another meal.
It looked like this one was won by the dogs, and they were eating well while the unlucky cats went hungry.