Cheetah cub and White Rhino standoff in Hluhluwe

The Wildlife ACT conservation volunteers at Hluhluwe, South Africa (Anna Dino, Conny Piller, Claire Descamps, Conny Hebrank and Tascha Child) were trying to take ID photos of a female cheetah and her cub yesterday afternoon for the cheetah ID Kit that Wildlife ACT is compiling for KZN Wildlife park management.

The female and cub were resting in the shade of some bushes, when they were suddenly startled by two approaching white rhino. The cub jumped up immediately, and stood hissing at them, with its neck hair raised. The mom stayed crouched down between the two rhino and her cub, and remained in that position until the rhino were almost on top of her. When the female cheetah and her cub finally ran away (at which point all the volunteers were holding their breath in fear of them being injured by the rhino), she ensured that the rhino focused on her rather than her cub, by running away slowly and stopping every once in a while for the rhino to follow. The cub ran off in the other direction.

What a brave mom, and what an unforgettable experience for our conservation volunteers!

Cheetah in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park South Africa Photo: Conny Hebrank

The female Cheetah and her cub