DUMA - SERENGETI PROWLER

A previous post of this picture (1/23/04) contained an anomalous scanning error. Here is a corrected version together with some more info about cheetahs.
Title: DUMA - SERENGETI PROWLER
Species: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Photographer: James McIntyre
Location: Serengeti Plain, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Date: February, 2003
Equipment: Canon EOS-1VHS; EF 600 mm f/4L IS USM + 2.0x I TE; Gustafson Todd-Podd + Wimberley Head
Film: Fuji Provia 100F
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Metering: Evaluative, +1/3
Scanner: Nikon Super Coolscan 4000 ED with LaserSoft SilverFast Ai Software v6.0.1r28 (IT8 calibrated)

In November each year, more than one million Wildebeest (Gnu) and hundreds of thousands of Zebra begin their Great Migration south from the Maasai Mara in Kenya to the Serengeti of Tanzania, seeking green grass pastures for food. Their columns stretch for miles. Typically in February, the Wildebeest give synchronized birth. The huge ungulate herds are followed by the predators of the grasslands seeking easy prey - hyenas, lions and cheetahs.

DUMA is the Swahili word for Cheetah. Cheetahs prefer to stalk within about 50 meters before racing out to attack their prey at speeds as high as 115 km/hour (71 mph). Over short distances that speed translates to 32 m/s - 3 times faster than the fastest human sprinter! No wonder animals such as gazelles and impalas must be constantly on the alert. They may have only a couple of seconds to bolt and run for their lives. The skull of the cheetah is constructed to allow its jaws to serve as a clamp that maintains a tight throttle on the throat of its prey until it dies of suffocation. Sadly, some estimates state that these magnificent animals are close to extinction due to lack of a viable gene pool.

Early one morning in February, 2003 on the Serengeti Plain north of Lake Ndutu, I watched a birthing herd of Wildebeest. Crouched in the grass closeby was a pair of Cheetahs, also watching attentively. These cats are accustomed to the presence of safari vehicles, knowing from experience they are not in any danger. Sometimes they even use them as lookouts. I took this head shot at a distance of about 70 feet.