Nature isn’t for the faint of heart a lot of the time. Nothing proves that more than watching a hunt like when these cheetahs down an impala and start eating before they’ve even killed it.
Alistair Leuner of Tintswalo Safari Lodge in the Manyeleti Game Reserve managed to capture this incredibly rare spectacle while showing some guests around.
“I went out on a drive with my guests and we were sitting in a sighting with a female leopard when we heard a nearby herd of impala alarm calling,” says Leuner. “We drove in the direction of the alarm calls, which was about 500m away from the leopard. We found 2 cheetahs watching the impala.”
They had no idea they were about to witness an absolute bloodbath that could make even the most seasoned hunter and outdoorsman want to turn away at times.
“After sitting with the hunting cheetahs, they suddenly both started chasing an impala for about 200m and managed to catch it! While the cheetah tried to kill the impala, the one even starting to eat it alive, 4 hyenas came and stole the impala and also started feeding on it while it was still alive.”
Even though the hyenas ran the cheetahs off, they didn’t make things any easier on the impala by putting it out of its misery any faster.
“It was an action-packed and exhilarating experience. Although difficult to watch the impala being eaten alive, it was a once in a lifetime sighting we could not tear our eyes away from.”
“By the end of the sighting, the hyenas won and there was no sign of neither the impala nor the cheetah. I have been guiding for 15 years and have never seen something like this! My advice to anyone who experiences something like this, even though it is harsh for most, is to absorb every moment of it!”
