EXCERPT AND IMAGES USED WITH PERMISSION.
In the wild, cheetah cubs can depend on their mother to hunt for them and to teach them to hunt from about six months old. But since Tess had no mother to teach her I was very surprised when, at 10 months old, she began chirruping to be let out at dawn. For the last two months she had shown signs of wanting to chase prey — mostly quite unsuitably large — but at least it showed she was keen to provide for herself. I began to record her vocalisations to play to Eduardo [the local vet] or Benedita in the hope they could explain them to me.