January
In the valley we spy a cheetah with two youngsters, lying in the shade of a camelthorn. Dried blood on their muzzles attests to a recent meal and the youngsters are sprawled out, pancake flat. Mum watches intently when a small herd of springbok approach with their playful lambs. Suddenly she’s running, accelerating to top gear in the blink of an eye and rapidly closing on the nearest calf. The cheetah’s gaining fast, but as the racing cat stretches to trip her quarry, the baby springbok jinks left, avoiding her claws by a hair’s breadth. Today, with a full belly and plenty more easy prey on tap, the cheetah gives up the chase.