“Seven wonders!” the forest guards said in unison with excitement. A 5-year-old cheetah has given birth to a large litter of seven cubs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Forest protectors named the leopard Siligi, which means “hope” in the local language. The sighting of the rare “giant” fish at the end of 2019 created many expectations. However, the survival of all cubs is foremost on the minds of all forest staff because they know that cubs are vulnerable to predators. Killing is inevitable, bound by the laws of nature, and killing is normal.

Female cheetahs are excellent mothers, but despite their diligence, many cubs still die. They are killed by lions, spotted hyenas and leopards as well as by aerial predators or birds of prey, observes Luke Hunter in his book Cheetah , based on authoritative research carried out in Asia. Phi and features stunning photos by Dave Hamman.

Sometimes, females are forced to abandon their litter while hunting. As a result, abandoned cubs can die from disease and malnutrition. Hunter, an expert in carnivore ecology and conservation, said if it’s the rainy season, the cubs will be affected by pneumonia and hypothermia.

During his more than two decades of research, Hunter made a surprising discovery: in the event that a female loses her litter, her estrous cycle resumes almost immediately. “On average, cheetahs become pregnant within 19 days after the loss of a litter… Such rapid resumption of reproduction is thought to be another adaptation to the loss of so many cubs,” he wrote.

A visit to Masai Mara and interaction with rangers helps one get a clearer picture of the cheetah herd. According to Dr. Elena Chelysheva, Principal Investigator of the Mara Meru Cheetah Project in Kenya, there are typically three to five cheetah cubs in a litter. This is the first recorded sighting of seven leopard cubs in the Masai Mara. scientific research on cheetah ecology over the past three decades.

Regarding the survival of cubs, she said 74-76% of cubs die within three months in the Masai Mara. The Mara Meru Cheetah Project, part of the Kenya Wildlife Service, promotes cheetah conservation through research, community engagement and education.

Why do predators kill cubs? Dr. Elena Chelysheva believes it is due to competition for resources. There have been cases where lions ate their cubs. Lions also kill leopard cubs. But cheetahs do not kill leopard cubs or lion cubs.

Siligi gives hope to forestry staff. Patrol officers discovered her and her seven cubs in November 2019 in a remote area of the 520 square kilometer reserve. At that time the cubs were more than a month old. James Sindiyo, director of the reserve, immediately formed a security team to monitor the cubs and mother.

Forest sources say Siligi is now five years old. She came to Masai Mara from Serengeti National Park in neighboring Tanzania. In August 2018, she had two children. In November 2019, Siligi became a global phenomenon because of seven cubs in one litter.

“At first, I only saw two cubs,” Dr. Yaron Schmid, a veterinarian-turned-wildlife photographer and one of the first few people to photograph the cubs, said in an email. tiger cubs on November 4, 2019. The next day, Siligi appeared with seven cubs. It was an amazing sight.”

The cubs are in a playful mood, charming everyone. “Then suddenly a lioness rushed forward, roared and tried to grab a lion cub. But it was ruined when Siligi reacted with hot eyes. The lioness retreated,” Schmid said. The photos of Siligi and his cubs caught the attention of wildlife enthusiasts, and that’s when other photographers started flocking to the Masai Mara.

Dileep Anthikkad and Sumesh Sankarathodi, based in Doha and Muscat, were among the few Indians who had the opportunity to photograph the cubs. “I was able to get very close to the mother and her cubs on December 5, 2019. They were in the lush Talek area of the sanctuary,” recalls Sumesh, whom this writer met in Kochi. “The seven cubs were looking at me worriedly. I felt like I was in a toy store, with seven pairs of eyes sparkling like dolls’ eyes. The lion cubs are identical and it is impossible to tell them apart,” Sumesh said. He added that the cubs were in a playful mood and always stayed close to their mother. Siligi vigilantly protects her cubs and is constantly looking for predators around. He said he was able to observe them for almost an hour.

“I hope to see Siligi again soon,” noted wildlife photographer Daryl Balfour said via email. When I think of the Masai Mara, my heart goes out to Malaika, the leopard who died in March 2018. [See “Link to the Cheetah,” Frontline , August 2, 2019].”

Malaika has left an indelible impression on the minds of wildlife enthusiasts and photographers. “I followed her for 9 long years. She is especially comfortable getting close to game vehicles. She brought her cubs close to us because she felt the people in the car were protecting her.” Balfour recalls Malaika drowning in the raging Olare Orok River during the March 2018 floods. She was trying to get back to her cubs.

Dileep Anthikkad, who visited the reserve in December 2019 and accompanied the guards monitoring Siligi, recalled seeing Siligi with her cubs as an amazing sight in nature.

Speaking to this writer in Kochi in early January, he said: “When I saw her, she was warming, petting and feeding seven tiger cubs. The backdrop is green and picturesque. The cubs are almost two months old and are protected by their extremely vigilant mother.”

“I learned from the guardians that the larger the litter, the greater the mother’s duty to shield her cubs. When she has cubs, it is a challenge for her because she has to feed them, hunt for herself, and stay alert around the clock for predators.”

The tall grass provides perfect cover so the mother cheetah can look around while her cubs play with each other. Watching the leopard, its elegance and gait are reminiscent of the observations of George Schaller, a famous American wildlife biologist who spent half a century studying wildlife on the planet. around the world. Big cats, especially those in Africa, greatly influenced him. Schaller visited India in 1965 to study the Kanha tiger. His masterpiece, The Deer and the Tiger , was the first scientific study of tigers and their prey in Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, and inspired successive generations of wildlife biologists. .

“With its small round head, slim waist and long, slender legs, the cheetah is the most atypical cat, an animal built to run fast, a hound with leopard fur. The cheetah hunt is certainly an interesting spectacle in Africa,” he commented.

And then, just as Dileep was observing the mother and her cubs, it happened. With a sudden burst of sprinting, the mother hit a Thomson’s gazelle. Strangulated, the animal died, and Siligi dragged the body over to the cubs. She rested for a while but remained vigilant. Then she opens the prey’s abdomen and begins to eat. Gradually, the cubs join her and scratch and eat the meat.

Dileep then remembered an astonishing moment. Eating left blood stains on the cub’s face. The mother licked their faces to clean off the blood. It was an unusual sight. The guards said that the blood would attract jackals, which have a keen sense of smell. It was an extreme precaution taken by Siligi to protect her cubs. Mother leopards train their cubs to both hunt and eat. After 18 months, when they are fully grown, they separate from their mother and live alone.

One of Siligi’s cubs was killed by a predator, probably a leopard, on December 23, 2019. The entire staff of the Masai Mara reserve was extremely disappointed, even though they knew that loss is inevitable. There was an overwhelming gloom. The team sprang into action to locate the predator.

During their search, they discovered a sneaky leopard. Observing its stealthy appearance and deceptive body language, the guards concluded that the leopard was the killer. Dileep says he got a photo of the killer. Not far away, a mother leopard and her cubs were huddled in a bush. The leopard could have snuck in for a second kill, but the guards stopped it. From January 13 onwards, Siligi lost four more cubs in different locations. Forest rangers said they may have been killed by lions and hyenas.

At the time of writing this story, Siligi only had two cubs left. Niels Mogensen, senior scientist at the Predator Mara Project, confirmed this in an email. In addition to predators, the cause of death could be illness and injury, he said.

Impact of tourism

“We have shown that mass tourism has a negative impact on the number of cubs a cheetah can raise to independence,” Niels added. In other words, cheetah cub recruitment is negatively correlated with tourism development.”

A document titled “Impact of tourism and habitat on the survival of cheetah cubs”, prepared by Femke Broekhus of the Kenyan Wildlife Trust in June 2018, revealed that cheetahs have experienced severe population decline. There are now only 7,000 leopards left in Africa. The number of cubs that survive to independence is crucial for population growth. In the Serengeti, less than 5% of bear cubs are independent. On average, females found in high-tourism areas raised only one cub to independence compared to more than two in low-tourism areas.

Abundance of tourism has a negative impact on leopard cubs. Therefore, the report recommends, among other things, that no more than five vehicles be allowed at any one time during cheetah sightings. Other recommendations include ensuring that no vehicles are allowed near cheetah dens, vehicles maintain a minimum distance of 30 meters when sighted, and noise levels are kept to a minimum.

Cheetah populations are facing extreme challenges to survive. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has put the cheetah on its red list as an endangered species. Sarah Durant, a British cheetah expert and lead author of a paper titled “Vanishing Points: The Global Decline of Cheetahs and What It Means for Conservation,” said : “Cheetahs face increasing pressure from widespread human-wildlife conflicts, loss of prey due to overhunting. and bushmeat harvesting, habitat loss and fragmentation, and illegal trade.”

While cheetahs in Africa have been extirpated from 98% of their historic range, Asiatic cheetahs are critically endangered in Iran, with only 50 left. From 1950 onwards, cheetahs were completely wiped out from India.

Cheetah hunting in India

However, the Supreme Court of India allowed the Indian government to introduce cheetahs into India from Namibia in Africa. The court order dated January 28, 2020 said: “The introduction of African cheetahs into India is undesirable at the discretion of the NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority), but we are of the view that the NTCA is guided and operated appropriately. directed by a committee of experts in the field who will carry out a survey to find the best location for introducing African cheetahs in India and make a careful decision on the possibility existence of introducing this animal on a large scale. The expert committee will monitor the entire process and NTCA must be instructed to coordinate actions with the expert committee.”

The experts include Dr MK Ranjithsinh, former Director of the Wildlife Conservation Service of India; Dr. Dhananjai Mohan, Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Management Authority, Uttarakhand; and Deputy Inspector General (Wildlife), Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India.

In April 2013, the Supreme Court invalidated the government’s project to introduce African cheetahs into India. The court held that the government had not conducted any scientific research. Subsequently, a revised study was conducted and submitted to the Supreme Court.

George Schaller says that currently, the cheetah in Africa is the most endangered big cat species and unless stricter protection is given, this gentle and elegant cat will surely follow in the footsteps of its cousin Its Asian family is at risk of extinction in much of the world.