“When Predators Collide: Baboons Interfere with Cheetahs’ Hunt, Altering the Food Chain”
Laura Dyer recorded the “study” with an unexpected ending of the cheetahs hunting cubs in the Masai Mara reserve, Kenya, Mail on January 19 reported. “The cheetahs are less than 6 months old. Their mother took the newborn Thomson antelope back so they could learn how to hunt,” she said.
Instead of grabbing and knocking down the antelope, the cheetah cubs just surround the small animal and are unable to kill it. Many times the antelope ran away, the leopard cubs chased and caught it. They pinned their prey to the ground, tried to bite its neck but still failed.
“Of course the cheetah cubs don’t know anything because this is their first time learning to hunt. They don’t know how to kill antelope. This went on for about 40 minutes under the mother’s watch, until when a large male baboon noticed the commotion and ran over, taking the baby antelope for himself,” Ɗyer said.
Baboons chased three small leopards away and then ran after antelope to catch them. This time, the antelope suffered a fatal wound to its neck. It was quickly taken away by the baboon. “Baboons sometimes catch and kill prey, but this is still very unusual,” says Ɗyer.
