Life in the African bush has a certain stigma attached to it. Sunrise and sunsets, giraffe waltzing through the thickets, impala bouncing across the road, and zebra calling as the sun drops.
There is another side to it too though. Maybe a darker side. The hidden side. The side a tourist doesn't always see.
Inter-predatory competition. We've all seen it on tv, usually between lions and hyenas. But they aren't the only ones squabbling out there. The public seem ok with that battle, as more often than not the lions win, and there aren't too many tears from most people when it all goes down.
But... it's not only lions and hyena who fight. We have lost 12 cheetah in the last few years, mostly as a result of lions (and some fighting amongst themselves), so it was with great excitement as we released a young female onto the reserve, who will hopefully find the lone male survivor, and then hopefully we will begin to see an increase in numbers as the new cubs learn from their lion-wise parents which felines to avoid.
It's early days, but it's nature, and things don't always go as planned. But so far, so good, the two spotted animals have met, and we keep our fingers crossed for the future!
