There has been quite a special character moving around the
area lately. We’ve been lucky to have a female Cheetah going about her
business, oblivious to the attention she has been receiving.
This female has been hanging around the Main Dam/ Jackals
plain area in the eastern part of the reserve. One particular morning we found
her and right on cue she started the show. She marked a few spots, walked straight
past the vehicle, lay down on the road and rolled over a few times, just making
sure that everyone managed to get a photo of her good side.
After a few minutes she walked north on Jackals plain and
then along the road. Right next the road a Marula tree had been pushed over by
Elephants. This was probably by a bull getting a little over zealous trying to
get the last of the delicious fruits. She stood, looked at the tree and decided
that it would be a good vantage point to scan the surrounding plains.
Up she went and had a look around. Then the sniffing started.
She explored the tree as if following a scent map. There was something
significant about this tree. We couldn’t smell it but she knew exactly what
information was being shared. She then began marking the tree herself. It began
with her claws, much like a domestic cat on a sofa, extending her claws and
scratching. Then sniffing again, exploring every page of the woody “newspaper”
she had at her disposal.
These trees are known as “play trees“ and form an important
part of a Cheetah’s home range. Because they are used by numerous Cheetahs, it
plays an integral part in their social affairs. Any other
Cheetah that had passed through previously would have used this specific tree
to advertise that they had been around. This is the information she was
receiving. Just before she came down, she dropped her own dung, letting all
other Cheetah know that she had been there.
Darren Roberts-York
All photo's taken by Darren Roberts-York with a Nikon Coolpix P510
No comments:
Post a Comment