01/02/2023
2022 ended with an interesting event: almost 7-year-old Kisaru, mother of two 17-month-old cubs, met two 6.5-year-old males Milele and Mbili. Although the home ranges of cheetahs are large, they overlap, allowing animals of different sexes to meet in the vast field of savannah. Females come into oestrus when they have large cubs, and if the mating was productive, the female stays with her big cubs for another 2 months, and leaves them a month before giving birth. At the time of mating, females usually leave the offspring behind, disappearing with males in secluded places. This provides not only a peaceful environment for courtship, but also the safety of the cubs, since males often display aggression towards young males. Courtship in cheetahs continues for 3 days, after which the males lose interest in the partner. Cheetahs are very secretive animals, and although courtship can often be observed during daytime, mating often occurs at night. Males in coalitions use different tactics to avoid competition: most often, one male disappears with the female for a day or two, after which he returns to the group. Some pairs of males, mate with the same female in turn. After a successful mating, the female usually rolls over her back while the male watches her from the side. Not all matings, however, are so peaceful: sometimes males display violence. This is what recently happened to Kisaru and her sub-adult cubs when Milele and Mbili ran into their family. Cubs ran away, and the trio went into the depths of the forest for 2.5 days. For two days, Kisaru’s daughter was calling for her mother and unsuccessfully tried to find her brother. When she finally succeeded, they both returned to the place where they had last seen their mother. They repeatedly went deep into the thicket, but could not find the mother. Only on the third day, in the early morning, they saw the mother with two males, who were vigilantly watching her, not letting her leave the spot at the edge of the forest. Realizing that their mother was alive, the cubs went hunting and successfully captured an adult male Thomson’s gazelle! The experience passed on by Kisaru, the daughter of the most successful female in the Mara – Amani, was very useful to the young cheetahs. Having lost sight of the cubs, the hungry Kisaru made repeated attempts to elude the males. Eventually, at 13:20, the males left for hunting. Kisaru, however, was in no hurry to leave and kept a close eye on the males, and when they caught the adult Topi, she ran to them! This was, perhaps, the most interesting situation to observe: the female approached the males, who had begun to eat, and poked her head towards the carcass rather confidently, but cautiously. Mbili hit her, but still let her in, and for several minutes the trio ate together, after which the males left the carcass one by one and lay down under a bush 20 meters away, leaving Kisaru to eat alone. After 35 minutes, they returned to the kill and, after several mutual growls, began to eat together. Having had her fill, the female took advantage of the heavy downpour and ran into the field, calling her cubs. The males peacefully finished the carcass and after 3 hours, leaving the vultures only the skin and bones, they left in the opposite direction. Kisaru found the cubs only after 7 days, on December 31st. During these days, the cubs got used to hunting, and the female got food for herself. But still, family ties are strong, and united, all family members take care of each other, because together it is easier to get food, keep vigilant for the danger and learn to survive.
