Who’s Run Into A Cheeky Cheetah?

Well, we did on our incredible safari adventure in Botswana’s Okavango Delta – and this guy seemed really happy to see us!

That’s my wife Alex capturing the first of many photos and videos of a lonely male Cheetah in the distance, but he got a lot closer as well – because he was on a very specific mission – to find love!

We spotted him on our morning safari trek in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, when we were at the terrific Wilderness Qorokwe lodge.

Some Cheetah Facts…

Cheetahs thrive in the Okavango Delta’s diverse habitats, using its grasslands and woodlands for hunting their fast prey, though they face pressure from larger predators like lions and hyenas who steal kills, requiring them to eat quickly.

These sleek, tear-streaked big cats are the fastest land animals, relying on speed and agility for survival. Here’s our first encounter with the Cheetah – and listen to him calling out for a female:

Spotting Cheetahs is a bit rare: you see, unlike some big cats, cheetahs prefer privacy, seeking secluded spots in tall grasses or isolated areas to avoid predators and competitors….so why is this one making so much noise?

Because He Wants A Date!

Here is more of our noisy Cheetah – out looking for love!

Our Cheetah isn’t hunting for food: he’s hunting for love! You see, the mating process involves secretive courtship, scent marking by receptive females, and specific vocalizations like yelps and chirps by males to attract her!

Listen to his calls for love:

We followed the Cheetah as he went from tree to tree, making lots of noise and smelling the trunks of those trees. Here’s why:

1. Female Signals: A female ready to mate will urinate on bushes, trees, or rocks, leaving a scent that males detect.
2. Male Response: Males follow the scent, calling out with yelps to locate her, with the female often responding in kind as he approaches.

Here’s more of his “love search” and it ends with him smelling the tree for signs of a female:

Wow, it was fascinating to see it happening right in front of us! Here is more video and you can clearly hear the Cheetah and see him smelling every tree he finds:

We followed this male Cheetah for more than a half hour as he searched for a female, but none emerged.

Here is more great video where you can clearly see and hear the mating calls:

Finally, the male Cheetah took a rest in the shade, but listen as his “shout outs” continue!

And that was it: no females nearby as you could hear our excellent Guide Jacob explain…I loved hearing just how vocal this male Cheetah was…another incredible adventure thanks to the outstanding Wilderness Qorokwe camp in the Okavango Delta in Botswana!

Every day there was a sunrise safari adventure and every night there was a “sundowner”: where we tracked animals of all kinds, then found a safe spot to get out and have a drink as the sun went down…incredible!

We saw so many different animals: I already shared our Leopard sighting:

We also came across a Leopard perched high in a tree, above the fray, searching the horizon for food…

Yes, we had two surprise encounters with Leopards and you can see that here:

What an adventure that was, matched only by the time we tracked a pack of wild dogs, also very rare! Note they started out trotting by us before breaking into a fast run, leading us on a wild chase through the desert brush!

It was an exhilarating encounter!

See more of that adventure here!

Every single day was magical on Safari in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe – incredible countries all!

We even got a walking tour through the Kalahari Desert, and some tribal bushmen taught how to do this!

It was just one of many crazy survival skills we learned on this fascinating look at their culture…see them all here!

More safari adventures to come including crazy Baboons, rampaging Warthogs and Hippos: dozens and dozens of hippos like this!

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Categories: Africa, Exotic Travel, Memoirs, nature, safari, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir

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