Who do you think would get success a conflict between a cheetah and a harsh dog pack? Well, we got the chance to watch a clash between these amazing killers, and realize. We get these interesting South Africa news online from our sources. First on the scene at about four in the afternoon was Crimson, a female collared cheetah. She was wandering along the boundary line and looking very relaxed; perhaps ready for a bit of a lie-down.
Enter stage right, scurrying along the boundary line from the opposite direction, two yearlings from the wild dog pack, high-spirited, playful, inquisitive, and generally looking for harm. As soon as they spotted Crimson their big bat ears stabbed forward and they split up, ready to circle their target.
Crimson, cat like, starts a low aggressive drone, and slinks towards some foliage, head down. The dogs get really excited, and make little stings towards her, not too close yet. And then…the other 11 members of the wild dog pack arrive on the scene, strong to see what all the concern is about, jumping about, play fighting: a group of kids out for a good time (all of them but two are really still pups).
Crimson takes a look and growls. This would be no reasonable fight. Although she could outclass them over a short distance, they could hunt her into open country and easily border her, and then she would have no chance. She’d be one ex-cheetah. Wild dogs are extremely well-organized hunters with a kill rate of well over 50 percent.
So Crimson looks for the next-door grove, and grasses into it, trying to protect her back. The dogs are prepared to have a go, running around the brush, sneaking as close as they taunt, until Crimson yells and lunges and the whole pack jumps backwards in harmony. And always the cat whine rising and falling. The dogs are willing to sit and wait, dragging at the wood in the covert, scurrying away then back again, mocking.
Luckily for Crimson, the pack just kids don’t have the courtesy extent and maybe don’t even realize how dangerous they are? They also seem a bit confused: other marked cats they’ve met will just run up the nearest tree, so what’s with this one? First one, then another, they lose interest, start worrying a branch, or eating grass, inhaling the air. Then one of them chooses to look for easier victim and they run off in dribs and drabs, looking back to see, if they need to have another go at Crimson.
Crimson lives to fight another day. A few minutes later, she sneaked out of the grove and slinked slowly and carefully in the conflicting direction doing her best smokescreen act against the grass and mud. What would happen if this drama was renovated in a year’s time? When the puppies have reached adulthood, it could have a fewer happy wind-up…