A cheetah protects her kill on the plains near Naabi
PAUL JOYNSONfHICKS f SERENGETISAFARI.TV
Keziah is basking in the sun surrounded by six adorable, sleepy cubs. She’s one of Dennis Minja’s favourite cheetahs, a star among several big cats he knows personally that prowl Serengeti’s southern plains. “Keziah’s a ‘super-mum’,” he explains. “She’s successfully raised five babies, even though 95 per cent of cubs die through bushfires or predation. She’s even adopted a cub whose mother died. That’s very rare.”
Dennis is a researcher for Zoological Society of London’s Serengeti Cheetah Project, based in the south of the national park. Vast and mesmerizingly flat, this is perfect habitat for the fastest mammals on Earth. Researchers here have been building up invaluable knowledge of cheetahs since 1974. With around 7000 surviving in Africa, this is one of the best places to see them, home to around 100 adults.