Perched on the South Easterly part of the Serengeti, bordering the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, the Namiri Plains are inarguably the pride lands of the Serengeti big Cats.
Previously zoned out as a research center for the big cats, the vast plains were inaccessible to any human activities giving these Virgin lands the God-given capacity to thrive with wildlife. Having just recently been opened up to controlled game viewing, the Namiri Plain is a gem for viewing an abundance of the big cats.
On a recent visit, we encountered Campari (a female cheater named by the cat researchers after the Italian alcoholic liqueur obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit) and her daughter under the cloudy but bright Serengeti sky trying to make a meal for themselves.
When we first spotted them, they were just patched on a small mound of soil yawning when they suddenly broke profile into hunting mode when they made out a solo-grazing gazelle in the distance. With no other distractions save for some distant Zebras, the two cats slowly started to encrotch in stealth trying their best not to be made out by the unsuspecting gazelle. A cloudy sky with reduced glare, a steady cool wind blowing against the cats and tall grass for camouflage were just the right recipe for the cats to make their daily bread.
At a distance of about 700m the braying of a distant zebra suddenly spooked the gazelle. For about 10 minutes, the cats stood down, laying very low in the grass as the gazelle panned her surroundings for any eminent danger before getting back to her vegetarian meal oblivious of the ambush that was right under her brows. With the gazelles back turned back against the cheetahs, they pounced on the opportunity to quickly make a few more steps towards their prey without being spotted.
At a distance of about 500m the cats were confident enough that they could now make a run for the kill but only to their disappointment when an alert call was raised by a zebra barking nearby catching the attention of the gazelle who then made a dash for her dear life living the predators to their hunger.
I was personally disappointed that I never made to see the world’s fastest land animal approaching the neck breaking 100km/h speed that I was so early waiting for!
What is the fastest animal you have seen in motion and where?