Can I find Cheetahs in East Africa? Absolutely, East Africa is a hub of Cheetahs, and these creatures are found in the three east African countries Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. In Kenya they ae found majorly in Masai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli National Park and Tsavo East National Park. In Tanzania you will find the cheetahs in the Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Tarangire National Park. In Uganda the animals are found in Kidepo Valley National Park and Murchison Falls National Park.
These cheetahs can be seen anytime you visit any of these parks and you can enjoy them in their natural habitat and the run around and go about their day to day life.
Well cheetahs are known to be swift and majestic, awe-inspiring big cats famous for the unbelievable speed and agility. They have a very distinctive yellowish-brown coat with black spots that help these creatures to masquerade into the surroundings. Cheetahs are light weighted animals with the adults weighing between 36-64 kg and measuring 1.2-1.5 meters in length, their tail inclusive. The cheetahs have long, flexible tails which they use to help them balance while running.
The cheetahs live in grasslands and savannas and are territorial animals with the male cheetahs occupying large territories that will usually overlap with the of the numerous female cheetahs.
As said they are the fastest land and savannah animals running at a speed of up to 70 mph rather 113 km/h during their short sprints. With their speed advantage the cheetahs hunt swiftly their prey usually small to medium-sized animals like the young antelopes, gazelles and impalas and others.
Though cheetahs belong to the cat family, they are diurnal hunting and doing all their activity during the daytime.
In the wild the cheetash will breed all throughout the year; but in captivitity they will not breed at all. The cheetahs have a gestation period of around 90-100 days: the females giving birth to a litter of 2-4 cubs born blind and helpless. The cubs come of age pretty quickly and they generally live up to 10-12 years in all things are kept constant. Generally you can say the cheetahs life span is around 6-7 years if you consider the several wild threats.
That’s why they are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with about 7,000 individuals said to be remaining in the wild in the entire world. Most of the threats to the cheetahs are habitat loss, land encroachment on the wild life habitats, poaching the cheetahs and of recent climate change.
The cheetahs as stated at the start of this article can be seen anytime of the year in the habitats listed above. Though you will find many people visiting the wild during the dry season so that’s when they see the cheetahs most. The dry seasons in East Africa are during the months of June to October and even in January and February.
When you are at the national park, your best chance of spotting the cheetahs is during the mornings when the sun is out, the midday time or in the afternoons, that’s when the cheetahs are most activity and running around the wild. However you have to be quite keen, these cheetahs can be elusive, and you can easily miss them in the wild. You will find them near water bodies or grown grass as they monitor their prey and on pathways as they carry off their prey. There are a number of rules and regulations you have to follow as you view the cheetahs, and all these will be communicated to you by your tour operator.
