The Breath of the Cheetah

African legends say that the first cheetah to have stepped on the soil of the savannah felt lonely. So she started running through the plains in search of her kin. She spotted some big cats and ran towards them. One of them, much larger than she, roared, who are you and what do you want? I'm all alone and I'm looking for friends of my species, Well, you're not a lion. You're way too little, too skinny, and your claws aren't retractile. You're no big cat. You're a dog. Slightly peeved, the cheetah then sets out to find some dogs. She runs up to a group of hyenas. The clan leader howls out, who are you and what do you want? The cheetah recounts her meeting with the lion, but the clan starts to howl. You're not a dog. Look at your round head, your raspy tongue and your long tail. You're just a large cat. And the hyenas chase her away. She runs and runs and finally lies down under an acacia. She feels sad, so sad that she starts to cry. A giraffe lowers its neck to ask her, why are you crying? So the cheetah recounts her misadventures. Look at my beautiful face. I've cried so hard and for so long that it still bears the traces. Then the giraffe starts to cry, marking the cheetah's coat with her tears. A bird perches onto the branch of an acacia and says, I've traveled throughout the country and you are the most beautiful big cat there is. From this day on, the cheetah has kept her spots and chirps like a bird to show how proud she is to be such a unique big cat. The cheetah is elegant but fragile. It is the most vulnerable of savannah predators. Nowadays, the species is on the verge catch her breath and lower her body temperature. But the scavengers are here already and she will have to feed quickly to recover strength. The cheetah must hurry because she won't be able to ward off the ever-growing number of vultures and jackals much longer. She lives in a permanent state of emergency. She has only a few minutes to take the amount of food necessary to hold out for two days. Let's name her Mara after the region where she was born. The future doesn't hold much for this animal which is neither a cat nor quite a dog. Cheetahs need huge home ranges in order to survive. But nowadays, over 90% of their habitat has become cultivated land. Exiled to the farthest reaches of the savannah, the shy and fearful cheetahs have ended up on the hunting grounds of dangerous predators, lions, hyenas or leopards. Nowadays, eating their fill and surviving is nothing short of a miracle. Whereas their ancestors could roam the savannah until the age of 15, nowadays a cheetah's life expectancy is only eight years. Mara knows that on this rock there are animals she'll have to be wary of. This is the lioness's territory. Here is another formidable enemy. It's best not to cross the hyena's path when they roam the savannah in clans. Mara is always extremely cautious when she returns to her hideout. There were six of them at birth but three of them have already been devoured by predators. These three cheetah cubs are precious for the future of their species. They're barely two months old. To reach adulthood, they'll have to face numerous challenges and succeed at every stage of their schooling. It's not sure that all three of them will make it. A cheetah raises her cubs on her own. She feeds them, rids them of parasites and teaches them everything they need to know in order to survive. At this age, the cubs spend most of their time playing and chasing each other around, which is excellent for developing their motor skills. Their claws are still very sharp, allowing them to climb up trees. But trees are not the ideal playground. Their bones are still fragile and could very well break when they jump down. When she goes hunting, Mara must abandon her babies for a whole day. This sprinting specialist can reach 70 kilometers an hour in two seconds, 90 kilometers an hour just a second later and top speeds of 110 kilometers an hour. Her gaze remains fixed on her target. Her specific morphology, a small-sized head, slender rib cage and fine paws minimize air resistance. A cheetah can cover seven to eight meters in just one stride and complete four strides per second. The long, heavy, muscular tail acts like a rudder that stabilizes its run. Its non-retractile claws are comparable to a greyhound's and the rubbery aspect of the foot pads lend the cheetah total adherence to the ground, even though slow motion reveals they can stay suspended in the air while running, as if in zero gravity. A cheetah's hunt lasts on catch this young gazelle. It's time to teach her cubs how to vary their diet. Mara must feed first because the cub's survival depends on her. She tears into the carcass. Her cubs' teeth are not strong enough yet. Mara is always on the alert. Carrion invariably attracts predators. If there's one animal that knows how to climb up trees, it's the leopard. They are often mistaken for cheetahs. The leopard's coat is marked with rosettes, spots outlined in black, while the cheetah's coat is marked with black spots. This is the advantage of being a true big cat. Equipped with retractile claws, the leopard is an excellent climber. By hauling her prey onto a tree branch, she keeps it out of the scavenger's reach. The young wildebeest she's carrying is at least as heavy that purrs. The sound she emits can be heard as far as 40 meters away. It's 10 times more powerful than a cat's purring. Danger is everywhere in the savanna, so to keep her little family from being devoured by lions or hyenas, every two days Mara takes them to a new hideaway. And when the cubs stray too far, she doesn't hesitate to call them to order. This cry, similar to a bird chirping, is the most unusual throughout all of the savanna. It's immediately identifiable for her babies. Cheetahs become self-sufficient after long months of training. Four months have gone by and the large herbivores are long coming back. Prey are becoming scarcer and rivalries are breaking out. These famished lions have even stolen a carcass from the hyenas. The three cheetah cubs are still alive. They are now six months old and have been weaned for three months, but they are all alone and distraught. They've been expecting their mother's return for a good two hours already. Mara has already missed two hunts, but she's had time to catch her breath. Now she'll be able to attack her favorite prey, a Thompson gazelle. Now the cubs feed exclusively on fresh meat, just like their mother. Mara never takes leftover carrion from other predators. To feed her family, she must imperatively hunt As nature rages, the animals patiently wait out the downpours. Two months have gone by. The rains have filled the rivers. Already, part of the territory has turned green again. One of Mara's cubs has been trampled by a herd of buffaloes. Only two young females survived. They are eight months old. The time of plenty is back for all the predators. A godsend for this lioness. The arrival of these herbivores should bring Mara some respite. There is now plenty of food available for the carnivores and other carrion eaters. Mara will be able to hunt more serenely. Wildebeests are much stronger than the prey she usually covets, but if she can spot a younger or weaker individual, she may have a chance. Mara's daughters now follow their mother around everywhere. So as to perfect their technique, they observe the relentless struggle between their mother and the young wildebeest closely. They have front row seats. But the lioness clan that lives on the rock is always on the lookout. And for the first time, the two young cheetahs come and help their mother. Mara is trying to divert the lioness's attention, so she won't steal this hard-earned meal from them. But at 40 kilos to 130, she is no match against her. With her small cat head and dog claws, she can't win against this formidable enemy. She must go hunting again. The little family has hardly moved in over 20 minutes. So as to spare their strength, Mara is focusing her attention on the animal that will require the least effort. This young fawn was born yesterday. For the first time, the young cheetahs will have to prove their worth. Mara is watching the scene from a distance. At this speed, they will never make it. Mara brings back her prey without finishing it off. Her daughters must learn how to do it. But it's not enough to just run after it and make it fall. A proper killing consists of choking the prey by crushing its throat. Like that. It's easier to feed once the gazelle is still. There's almost nothing left of the young gazelle. Mara has barely had time to catch her breath. She's going to have to search for a more consistent meal. A tawny eagle takes advantage of the situation to glean a few leftovers. This time, the cheetah has decided to prey on a large male. Her daughters can't help her yet. She dashes off at 50 kilometers an hour. The gazelle's first tactic, change directions. Mara's tail helps to counterbalance her body weight and take hairpin turns. She hits the gazelle a first time, but not strongly enough to make it fall. She has the lead and hits once again. Today, Mara's daughters will kill an adult. For several weeks now, the wildebeests have been deserting the area to follow the rains in search of better grazing grounds. At the last watering holes, the elephants are smearing thick layers of mud on their skin to protect themselves against parasites. Four months have gone by. Mara's daughters are one year old. Their mother is still teaching them how to hunt. The cheetah pounces. This gazelle is giving her a hard time. She catches up with it. Mara is out of breath. But one of her daughters is ready to step in, and for the first time, she takes over. The young cheetah is still too clumsy to finish off her prey. Mara's daughters don't know it yet. But this hunt, the last with their mother, marks the beginning of their autonomy. The two young cheetahs are now 14 months old. Their mother left a week ago. They are on their own. Usually, mothers don't abandon their offspring until they're fully schooled, around 18 months old. They are going to have to manage on their own earlier than expected. They'll roam the savanna looking for quarries, stay discreet, and avoid their enemies. But they are far from ready. A baboon colony has settled near the swamps. As soon as intruders dare to come close, the alarm is raised. Every day, these young cheetahs discover a new obstacle, a new complication. The baboons arrive in numbers. The cheetahs have no other option but to back off. Their recent attempts at hunting have failed. They've strayed from the great plains where they were used to living with their mother. They found a new territory in the swamps. But the terrain is not suited to a cheetah's run. One of the sisters spots two reedbucks. The opportunity is too good to be true. But this prey seems mounted on springs. This reedbuck just performed an incredible 10-meter long and 3-meter high jump. After this unsuccessful hunt, the two sisters settle on high and dry ground. But no matter what direction they take, danger is everywhere. The cheetah's yowling hardly intimidates these formidable enemies. Mara's daughters are no match against this group of hyenas, equipped with bone-crushing jaws. This time, the hyenas give up. Famished, the two sisters return to the reedbucks. But catching them means traveling on uneven and soggy ground. And they hate water. This new hunt must succeed no matter what. Because their hunger pains are excruciating. The young cheetah now uses the same approach techniques as Mara. You need to make yourself as unobtrusive as possible. Blend into the surroundings. And when you feel the moment is right, make a dash for it. Just as they learned with their mother, her sister steps in to take over. Their prey managed to escape. But it's shaken. The young cheetahs are on high alert. This time, they won't let it escape. Finally, one of them catches it by the throat and goes in for the kill. Her sister has already started feeding on the prey. And it's not even dead yet. As always, the hyenas are lying in wait. Once again, the two young cheetahs are powerless facing the fearsome carnivore. To stay alive, Mara's daughters are doomed to a life of roaming in search of new territories. When faced with enemies, we can only hope that they will stand united. Mara is still alive. She's become a great loner again. For 100 years now, cheetahs have been hunted and threatened by human activities. There were 100,000 cheetahs in the wild at the turn of the 20th century. Today, there are only 7,000 of them left, sharing a drastically shrinking habitat. If men persist in neglecting the cheetah's fate, the fastest animal in the world will run straight into extinction. And like the very first cheetah of the African tales, Mara and her sisters could in turn cease to live, except in legends.