Archive for the 'Acinonyx' category

Some species of mammals are clearly confronted with the immediate risk of extinction. And, when I shoot photos of some of these at the other end of the world, I am often shocked by the immense chance I have to be able to still see these animals free in the wild for the years they have left.

For example, cheetahs were submitted to a major event of reduction in genetics diversity during the last Ice Age (less than 10,000 animals fought for survival during thousands of years). Today, the enormous competition pressure brought by Man and “its civilization”, on top of the stark competition from other carnivorous mammals (like hyenas), will most certainly bring cheetah out of the African savannas in a few years (maybe less than 20 years).

Tigers are also in a nearly desperate situation today: The last wild animals are already living in relatively small Reserves where, even free in the wild, they have become tourism subjects without being fully protected from poaching or illegal culling.

This is the context when Frédéric Lepage created a series of TV documentaries about a few emblematic species (cheetah, orangutan, tiger, elephant, jaguar, polar bear): Extinctions

I strongly recommend your being in front of the TV (France 5, French TV channel), to watch the episode for Tiger, on Friday 6 August 2010 at 20h30.

Actually, the story is not as simple as it may seem, but this is the way it was presented in the Daily Mail.

As often happens in the wild, young cheetahs (or other young predators) have to learn how to catch and how to kill. In many cases, this goes very fast (think about the birds learning to fly when they first try). But cheetahs are known for spending some time at it. Mothers may catch a prey and teach young ones how to kill. Things may take time and the animals seem to be playing with the prey.

The Daily Mail just forgot to provide the real end of the story: The baby impala did not leave the premises alive. It may happen sometimes, not often, but here it was finally killed and eaten.

The photos were shot by Christine and Michel Denis-Huot, clearly some of the very best wildlife photographers in France (Christine is also commonly leading some photo safaris in Africa, you may find information on their web site).

Note: Impalas are really the most common food for cheetahs, probably because of their size (and large numbers in many parts of East and South of Africa).

WebEcoist assembled some nice photos of the nicest big cats.

• Tiger
• White Tiger
• Lion
• Leopard
• Black panther
• Cheetah
• Puma
• Snow Leopard
• Lynx
• Caracal

While randomly browsing old links from my bookmarks library, I found some that led me to a place I recommend to all cheetah lovers. The Cincinnati Zoo has a TwitPic account (CheetahDays) to presenter a daily photo of the zoo’s big cats. A large amount of cheetahs as you would expect, but you will also find a serval in a kitchen, an ocelot in a bath tub, some lions, …

No free wild animals, but some nice pictures.

Cheetahs prefer the front seat

There is no limit to true love. Riana Van Nieuwenhuizen truly loves cats: She has got eleven (11!) of them in her South African house.

Nothing really remarquable, except the cats are:

• Four cheetahs
• Five white lions
• Two tigers

…and I don’t count the dogs.

This is love, big lvoe!

Riana tries to help in protecting those endangered species, since 2006 when she adopted her first cheetah, Fiela.

Last but not least, remember that wild animals are still wild animals, even when they are perfectly integrated in a family. In this case, they also have a lot of free space, which must contribute a lot to the overall stability of this adventure.

Source: Daily Mail.

Andew Chase creates articulated metal sculptures that he photographs in a later stage. Here is a cheetah which is part of his Trionic Morphatractable Engineer photo book.

Here is the proof.

“Sponsor a cheetah” is a preservation program targetting those cheetahs that can no longer be released back in the wild because they lived too long in captivity. From the United Kingdom, the Cheetah Conservation Fund, allows to give £100 or more to help the following individual cheetahs:

1. Blondi, Leia, Josie, Dusty & Sandy
2. Klein, Merlot, Cruise, Nina, Solo & Kanini
3. Chanel, Shadow, Toblerone, Hershey & Nestle
4. Rosy, Samantha, Tempesta & Misty
5. Cleo, Ohana Luna, Soraya, Quasar & Armani
6. Kayla, Kiana, Harry, Ron & Hermione

Did you think that the cheetah is actually a thin cat? Slenderness does not equate lack of muscle. Check this video and admire the work of the muscles while this cheetahs run full speed.

At the end of the video, you have also seen a most common event: A cheetah loosing its prey to hyenas quickly arrived at the kill scene to steal the prey.

Cheetahs are impressive hunters thanks to their capacity for high speed chases that leave nearly no chance to a surprised victim. But, it is also a very fragile animal which is usually not able to defend its prey. Here is a very common situation: The gazelle he just caught is immediately stolen by the much more powerful hyena that took the opportunity to grab a fresh kill with minimal risk.

Life is unforgiving in Africa savanna.