This ended up being a super eventful day for us – we watched the three cheetah brothers hunt a zebra! We started the day with a beautiful sunrise and then we went off to find the brothers. We knew they were hungry, so we followed them as they stalked along the plains looking for a target. At one point, an elephant family entered the picture and we all waited to see what would happen when their path crossed with the cheetahs. The elephants and the cheetahs kept on their respective paths and crossed and went on their way. It was fascinating to see. I expected one of the two groups to change their trajectory or give some kind of acknowledgement that the other group existed. Mike got this great video of the moment!

Once the cheetahs spotted a small group of zebras, they spread out and crouched into the grass. One of them popped their head up too early and caught the attention of the zebras, who froze. Once the zebras figured out what was going on, they started running away. We all thought that was it and that the cheetahs would move onto another target. But we underestimated how hungry these boys were. Our drivers correctly assessed that the cheetahs would continue their pursuit of the zebras and we drove to find the zebras.

We missed the chase and takedown, but arrived to see that the cheetahs caught a zebra. The jeeps circled around and provided some much needed cover for the cheetahs to finish the job and begin their feast. I’m not going to lie – it was brutal to witness. It was not quick and I had to plug my ears so I didn’t have to listen to the sounds that the zebra was making. I couldn’t watch either, so I just sat in my seat in the jeep with my eyes closed and my fingers in my ears and waited for Mike to let me know it was over. Once it was over, the two cheetahs who were the most out of breath went over to the shade that the jeeps provided to catch their breath. The other cheetah started in on eating. It was interesting to see how alert the cheetahs were while they were resting and eating. Since they are a smaller cat, they don’t want to have to fight off anyone else for their meal, so if something else (a lion or a hyena) shows up, they leave. So they try and eat as quickly as they can so they can at least get their belly full before they have to leave. Being in a group of three helps a little bit because there are more eyes on the lookout, but even in a group of three they aren’t looking to get into a fight. Once the other two caught their breath, they joined in the feast. We watched for a little bit longer, but then the rangers came in and all the jeeps scattered. Overall, it was a tough day, but one where we experienced nature at work.