It's often in the heat of the day when the unexpected things happen!

During the afternoon safari meeting I had mentioned that my safari plan would be on planning to track the female cheetah that was spotted earlier that day. The call came in over the radio that she had just been spotted running after a herd of impala, sprinting over an open area. Immediately I made my way there and found her panting heavily trying to get her breath back, we sat with her in the shade as it was still around 32°C, waiting for it to cool down.

After about 30 minutes she got up and moved to a fallen Marula tree using it as a vantage viewpoint. After she had jumped up on the tree she had one look up and around the tree, scouting for any potential prey around, she jumped off and moved back towards the open area.

She came to a halt with ears and eyes pointing to the long grass about 15 meters from her. I was about to take my binoculars out to try and see what she was focused on, then suddenly a scrub hare came flying out of the grass with her in hot pursuit of this scurrying hare. The two of them looked as if they were dancing the way they were bending around the corners, I have never witnessed such agility before, in and out of Guarrie bushes. It felt as if a massive wind had just picked up as they moved right past us, turmoil. The chase went on for at least 20 seconds.

The cheetah was way too determined on getting that meal, pushing her body to its extremes she did not stop! All of a sudden she looked ahead of the scrub hare and anticipated the next move it was going to make. She was right; dust rising like a plume of smoke and the hare went rolling through the open area like a tumbleweed. The hare had turned to the left of a Guarrie bush and she went straight through and caught it on the other side. We were all so happy for her, and in the same time sad for the hare! What a sighting!!!