This cheetah cam manages to capture a wild chase through the bush and it’s a seriously intense image as the two individuals watching the footage commentate on something that’s been as natural as anything could possibly be since the dawn of time. A cheetah moving in for the kill is something astonishing to watch since they seemingly go from zero to top speed in a very short time and must either take their prey down or slow down and then recharge. Cheetah’s, despite their amazingly quick speed, can only sprint for around ten seconds before being spent. They can’t sustain that speed for long period of time without seriously depleting their energy reserves. In the bush that’s never a good idea.
In this clip though, regardless of whether they’re attempting to figure out just what it looks like when a cheetah goes in for the kill, it would appear that the camera that is strapped to the head of the one shouldn’t damage the chances of speeding on their prey, but if it’s got any weight to it then the device could seriously impede progress and cause the animal to slow down unnecessarily when making that dash for food. Imagine trying to run at top speed with a camcorder strapped to your head, it might not be a serious problem but it would likely throw you off balance just enough to get your attention. Of course that’s not the only impediment the cheetah has to deal with in the bush, but it definitely looks like something that might not be amenable to hunting prey.
I could be wrong and it could be a lightweight camera, but like I just said there are other things in the cheetah’s way that couldn’t be avoided like bushes, branches, and other things that could slow the cat up. Still, the commentary is a little disturbing as they’re simply waiting for the cheetah’s to go in for the kill. Unfortunately the prey were alerted somehow and were able to get away, a mother and her calf it looks like. It seemed for a moment as though the two cheetahs bearing down on them might have meal, but the mother played interference and in some way spoiled the efforts of the two hunters. To be honest it seems a bit morbid for the two observers to be waiting for an animal to be taken down, no matter how natural it is. Granted, this is a look at the hunting habits of cheetah’s that is truly in-depth and hard to see in any other way, but it also feels very invasive in a way.
One thought did come to mind and it’s morbidly funny in a way since it would count as somewhat dark humor if you really took it wrong. Imagine the cheetah’s decided that the two observers looked like they might be tempting prey. It probably wouldn’t happen but it’s still interesting to think about. Just imagine them watching the image suddenly resolve as they found themselves looking at their own backs right before the cat pounced. That would be intense. Dark, I know.
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