Celebrating World Cheetah Day 2021.

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marc

Well-known member
With only 6700 cheetah left on the planet, and classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this graceful speedster needs all the help we can offer.

Cheetah face extinction pressure from climate change, hunting by humans, and habitat destruction, which is reducing the size of their populations.
Their own genes also pose a challenge to their continued survival.
They have a low rate of reproductive success, meaning that as a species they are not always able to reproduce. With fewer offspring, the population can neither grow nor adapt to changes in the environment.



Sunrise hunter
Eastern Serengeti- TZ

Nikon D500
Nikkor 500E PF FL VR f/5.6
f/6.3
1/1000s
ISO320

500_1290BPN.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.




Carry me away

Early morning and mum carries her remaining cub, (1 of 2 left) after Hyena sadly killed 4 of her then 6 the previous night.
Here in the Serengeti, cheetah cub survival *rate to adulthood is just 1 in 20 and sadly this horrendous statistic proved accurate as this mother also went on to lose her remaining two cubs in another 2 days time :cry:
Why is it that some mothers have more luck in raising 1, 2 or more cubs out of the 4 to 8 that she delivers? Is it luck and good timing, possibly, but one has to consider that some mothers, regardless of how many litters they deliver, are simply not good mothers.

* These are statistics from the current Serengeti Cheetah Research. With just 6700 cheetah left in the wild, and with such a narrow gene pool, will this be the first of Africa's big cats to vanish from the wild?
Eastern Serengeti- TZ

Nikon D5
Nikkor 180-400E PF FL VR f/4
f/4
1/1000s
ISO2000@ 380mm.

D05_5238B&WBPN.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.





Storm chaser

With 6 hungry cubs to feed, "Kisaru" makes the most of a torrential downpour to, first take down a pregnant Impala and within minutes seized her opportunity to bring down this female Thompsons Gazelle........also pregnant, what an afternoon!
Lemek Concession, Mara Reserve- Kenya.

Nikon D500
Nikkor 180-400E PF FL VR f/4
f/6.3
1/1000s
ISO1100@ 280mm

500_3379aBCG.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.





Always on alert.

Mum and her 3 sub adults bathed in golden light, have just spied a lone Thompsons Gazelle.
Eastern Serengeti- TZ

Nikon D5
Nikkor 180-400E PF FL VR f/4
f/8
1/1250s
ISO1600@ 450mm.

D05_7820BPN.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.





5 of her best!

A wonderful cheetah mother Keziah to 5 x 10wk old cubs.
Little did I know that not long after she adopted an abandoned single cub of similar age and successfully raised ALL six to maturity. What an amazing girl! 🙏
She also went by the name Moma Sita (Swahili for Mother of six) as she had a habit of raising 6 on more than one occasion.

Eastern Serengeti- TZ

D05_1354BPN.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.


Cheers
Marc
 
Last edited:
With only 6700 cheetah left on the planet, and classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this graceful speedster needs all the help we can offer.

Cheetah face extinction pressure from climate change, hunting by humans, and habitat destruction, which is reducing the size of their populations.
Their own genes also pose a challenge to their continued survival.
They have a low rate of reproductive success, meaning that as a species they are not always able to reproduce. With fewer offspring, the population can neither grow nor adapt to changes in the environment.



Sunrise hunter
Eastern Serengeti- TZ

Nikon D500
Nikkor 500E PF FL VR f/5.6
f/6.3
1/1000s
ISO320

View attachment 28226



Carry me away

Early morning and mum carries her remaining cub, (1 of 2 left) after Hyena sadly killed 4 of her then 6 the previous night.
Here in the Serengeti, cheetah cub survival *rate to adulthood is just 1 in 20 and sadly this horrendous statistic proved accurate as this mother also went on to lose her remaining two cubs in another 2 days time :cry:
Why is it that some mothers have more luck in raising 1, 2 or more cubs out of the 4 to 8 that she delivers? Is it luck and good timing, possibly, but one has to consider that some mothers, regardless of how many litters they deliver, are simply not good mothers.

* These are statistics from the current Serengeti Cheetah Research. With just 6700 cheetah left in the world, and with such a narrow gene pool, will this be the first of Africa's big cats to vanish from the wild?
Eastern Serengeti- TZ

Nikon D5
Nikkor 180-400E PF FL VR f/4
f/4
1/1000s
ISO2000@ 380mm.

View attachment 28231




Storm chaser

With 6 hungry cubs to feed, "Kisaru" makes the most of a torrential downpour to, first take down a pregnant Impala and within minutes seized her opportunity to bring down this female Thompsons Gazelle........also pregnant, what an afternoon!
Lemek Concession, Mara Reserve- Kenya.

Nikon D500
Nikkor 180-400E PF FL VR f/4
f/6.3
1/1000s
ISO1100@ 280mm

View attachment 28228




Always on alert.

Mum and her 3 sub adults bathed in golden light, have just spied a lone Thompsons Gazelle.
Eastern Serengeti- TZ

Nikon D5
Nikkor 180-400E PF FL VR f/4
f/8
1/1250s
ISO1600@ 450mm.

View attachment 28232




5 of her best!

A wonderful cheetah mother Keziah to 5 x 10wk old cubs.
Little did I know that not long after she adopted an abandoned single cub of similar age and successfully raised ALL six to maturity. What an amazing girl! 🙏
She also went by the name Moma Sita (Swahili for Mother of six) as she had a habit of raising 6 on more than one occasion.

Eastern Serengeti- TZ

View attachment 28230

Cheers
Marc
Fantastic series Marc! There all great but that first one is my favorite👍👍👍👍
 
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