Category: Cheetah
Injured Cheetah loses tail
An adult female Cheetah attacked by another predator, most probably hyenas or a leopard. Her long eloquent tail had been bitten off at the base leaving associated bruising, lacerations and haemorrhage in the area
The brilliant reserve staff noticed the injury and quickly made the call to STS!
She hid herself deep in the thick bush, so we had some difficulty tracking and darting her. With the assistance of the reserve staff, she was carried out and transported to a boma where we could perform the surgery and eventually wake her up.The boma offers her temporary protection from other predators and grants her the time to heal properly before she will be released again.
Cheetah use their tails extensively while they run at speed to catch prey. This female will learn to hunt without her tail, which we have seen a few other Cheetah do as well, with similar injuries. They adapt expertly from hunting at speed, to become more of an ambush hunter, almost like a leopard.
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