I am in love with a cat. My friends will be
surprised, even shocked to hear that, but it's true. She is no ordinary cat, of
course. Only a truly extraordinary cat could have such an effect on me. She also would not be welcome in most households. She is by
nature an outdoor cat, and, yes, she is a danger to wildlife, and that's okay. Her name is Ntombe, which comes from a river in South Africa
that was the scene of a famous battle in the Anglo-Zulu war in 1879.
 |
| Ntombe's Sweet Face |
Ntombe is an Acinonyx jubatus, better known to most of us as cheetah, the
fastest land animal in the world. Her
species once roamed all over Africa and much of south and southwest Asia, but
is now found mostly in southern and eastern Africa, with a small population in
remote parts of Iran.
Ntombe herself
roams in the Tshukudu Game Reserve, a private
former cattle ranch that is now devoted to caring for orphaned big cats,
including lions, leopards and cheetahs. A few lions and leopards live in large
breeding enclosures, but most have the run of the 12,000-acre reserve, which
they share with hippos, rhinos, giraffes, wart hogs, elephants and plenty of
antelopes to prey upon.
Tshukudu was the
first stop on the 12-day photo safari I participated in last fall with Wild 4 Photographic Safaris. We
spent two nights in Tshukudu, where we could get up close with some of the
lions and leopards, as well as a rare wild dog. As we drove around the reserve,
we also sighted other animals that we would see in abundance, but rarely as
closely, during our 10 days in Kruger National Park.
 |
| Jaco and Ntombe |
The highlight in
Tshukudu, though, was Ntombe. She lives comfortably in two worlds. In her
leisure, i.e., non-hunting, hours, she roams the grounds of the lodge where the
staff and guests stay.
During breakfast,
she is likely to walk into the open air dining area as if she owns it, just
like your house cat. She may plop herself at your feet under your table, or
find a shaft of sunlight through the trees to bask in. If you take a nap in
your chalet after lunch, you may find her napping at your doorstep when you
awake.
And she loves to be
petted. At least, that is the most reasonable interpretation of the purring
sound she makes if you scratch the bristly fur between her ears. Cheetahs are
actually the only big cats that purr.
I had my chance to
pet Ntombe shortly after we arrived at Tshukudu from the small airport at
Hoedspruit. We had eaten a late lunch and were about to explore the reserve by
vehicle with Jaco Venter, our ranger during our stay. But Ntombe was hanging
around the lodge, so we started out on foot as Jaco called Ntombe to see if she
would join us. Sure enough, she did, sidling up and finally lying down on the
other side of the dirt road. We fired our cameras excitedly as she posed, then
Jaco invited us to pet her as we took photos of each other.
Ntombe purred
softly and looked nonchalant, her eyes gazing into the distance, perhaps on the
lookout for an impala or perhaps a lion that would consider her a good meal.
She may also have
been looking for her brothers, Floppy and Hunters. We also spent a lot of time
looking unsuccessfully for Floppy and Hunters. They were probably out hunting.
When they are not hunting, they usually hang out at the lodge, too, where they
go on walks with the guests and behave similarly to Ntombe. But they don't like
Ntombe, and when they come back to the lodge, she usually leaves.
 |
| Ntombe Shows Her Wild Side |
On our last
morning, I had wanted to record Ntombe purring, but she was not around. This
gave us hope that Floppy and Hunters had come back, but there was no sign of
them, either. Which could mean only that Ntombe had gotten hungry and was out
in the bush looking for something to kill and eat. Because that is what she
does.
As friendly and
gentle as Ntombe was with us, she remains a wild animal that responds to the
hunger in her belly with the instinct of the killer that she is. Somewhere out
in the bush, she would find an impala or waterbuck, creep to within 100 feet
and then strike with lightning speed. Accelerating from a standstill to 60 mph
in about 3 seconds, she has her prey usually in less than a minute, tripping it
and then strangling it by closing her jaws over its throat. She then eats
quickly before other predators and scavengers show up to claim a share.
That is the cat I
was petting two days earlier, listening to her purr and wanting the moment to
go on and on. To be that close and comfortable with a lethal wild animal with
such power, speed and beauty is to absorb that wildness, and never want to let
go.
Of course, I had to
let go, and Ntombe is still at Tshukudu, being loved by the guests and feared
by the impalas. That is life in the bushveldt. And I hope it goes on and on.
 | |
| Ntombe and me |
