Page 24 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

CHEETAHS

fter six months working for the Cheetah Society of London, myself and numerous others. It’s the
Conservation Fund in Namibia, I still first comprehensive overview of more than 45 years of
hadn’t seen a cheetah. Such is life as a research on cheetahs.
professional ecologist sometimes; it’s not One long-held theory for why young cheetahs like
as if we spend the entire time witnessing Hifi and Sam band together is that it might improve
dramatic scenes like in the BBC’s Big Cats their hunting success. Solitary cheetahs prefer small- to
or Planet Earth II. Then one night I was medium-sized antelopes such as impala, springbok and
Awalking home when something came into gazelles. They also hunt warthogs, hares and birds like
view on the dusty track ahead. A cheetah! I recognised guinea fowl. By contrast, adolescent cheetahs in groups
him – Hifi. He had long been inseparable from his can in addition target larger prey, such as kudu calves,
brother Sam, who had died a few years earlier. which they would not be able to catch by themselves.
Hang on… aren’t cheetahs, indeed pretty much all wild Each group member still eats the same amount of meat
cats apart from lions, famous for being solitary? What were as they would do if living alone, however. In other words, it
these brothers doing living together? Well, it’s a little-known can’t be hunting success alone that drives young cheetahs to
fact that lions aren’t the only social cats. Together with the stay together. There must be another reason.
usual interactions cats have, such as a mother bringing
up cubs or a male and female coming together to mate, SAFETY IN NUMBERS
These three
male cheetahs cheetahs also form groups at other times of their life. As cheetahs are not top of the food-chain in many areas
have formed a By the time cheetahs have reached 18 months of age, their – leopards, lions and spotted hyenas can easily beat
‘coalition’ and mother leaves her ‘adolescent’ cubs to fend for themselves. them in a fight – a group will stick together to share
strong bond. But the siblings will continue to hang out together for the the responsibility of looking out for more dangerous
Top right: eight-
week-old cubs next few months. Why don’t they just split up and go their predators. This means that, individually, they spend
sit under their separate ways, like most other wild cat species? less time being vigilant and more time doing enjoyable
mother. When These and many other fascinating questions are things, such as eating, grooming or resting. Groups
they become tackled in a massive new doorstop of a book. Cheetahs: are more likely to be able to defend themselves from
adolescents
they will hang Biology and Conservation is co-edited by Laurie Marker, competitors and their survival rate is higher than for
out together who founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund, with solitary cheetahs. Safety in numbers is the name of the
for a while. contributions from Sarah Durant of the Zoological game for young cheetahs.
THE BROTHERS FORM A

‘COALITION’, WHICH IS MORE

LIKELY TO DEFEND TERRITORIES
AND FIGHT OFF PREDATORS.