Now that the female ostrich has found some male companions, we thought it appropriate to stress just how incredible it is that this bird is still around today.
Ostriches typically don’t have a very long tenure in the Sabi Sands. They do occasionally wander in from the Kruger National Park, but the increased carnivore density and the lack of suitable habitat has generally meant that any of them who made it this far either became a meal or beat a hasty retreat back to whence they came. The assumption when the female arrived in late 2013 was pretty much the same, but you know what they say about assumption, and we were all proved wrong as she made the area her own.
We often wonder just how she has managed to survive in an area in which the Makhotini male leopard hunts buffalo calves out of herds, the Mhangeni pride have regularly killed adult zebra and even bigger creatures, and cheetahs – the most prolific ostrich hunters in the Kalahari Desert – regularly rear their heads.
Having said this, I imagine that many predators in this area, when faced with an anomaly such as an ostrich, are simply nonplussed as to what to do. I mentioned just now that cheetahs hunt ostriches regularly in the Kalahari, but those are cheetahs that have encountered the big birds since birth, and have obviously learned the knack of taking on such awkward and potentially dangerous prey. No cheetah that has spent the bulk of its time in the Sabi Sands would have honed his or her hunting skills on the largest bird in the world, so we can likely discount the resident male cheetah as a serious threat.
About 18 months ago on a drizzly morning I watched the full complement of 13 Mhangeni lions walk past the ostrich in single file. Both parties eyed out the other suspiciously, but the pride didn’t approach nor did the ostrich flee. Perhaps the pride and the bird simply viewed each other as a curiosity. Incidents like that have I’m sure played out time without number between bird and predator.
A Mhangeni lioness and Matimba male approach the female ostrich. Open areas such as this go a long way towards ensuring the ostrich’s survival; her excellent eyesight allows her to see danger coming from a distance, and her speed keeps her out of reach of potential trouble. Photograph by Kevin Power
Fast forward to mid-2016 and it seems as though the predators of southern Londolozi are waking up to the fact that the ostrich may indeed present an opportunity for a good meal. The Makhotini male leopard we know already has a varied diet because of the territory he inhabits, and the Mhangeni sub-adults as 3-year-old lions are starting to represent a formidable hunting force. Since they have been spending a considerable amount of time in the same grasslands that the ostrich inhabits, they will likely be coming into far more regular contact with her (and her mate if he sticks around).
The following footage was filmed within a five day period recently:
The leopard chases were actually only two out of four that took place that morning. When reviewing some of the footage closely, it does appear that although his intention was clearly to take the ostrich down, as soon as he got within striking distance he seemed to baulk away. His typical attack method would be to latch onto an animals throat to suffocate it, but in the case of the ostrich that is accelerating up to 60km/h and kind of gangly, how would he go about doing this? Maybe he was chuckling at her goofy running style and couldn’t commit to the leap.
The fact remains that as the Mhangeni sub-adults spend more and more time in the grasslands, and we see more of the Makhotini male (we’ve had more sightings of him over the last 6 months than in the year-and-a-half before that) in the area, the ostrich(es) had better tread far more carefully…
This is very nerve racking to say the least. Does she have any other defense besides running away? This doesn’t seem to be a good situation for her now that the carnivores are realizing she is edible! I hope she stays safe.
Hi Loretta,
Ostriches have a phenomenally powerful kick, which when allied with their large and sharp toe-nail/claw, could be a formidable defence. Having said that, I think when confronted with the big cats, their first line of defence would almost always be to flee!
Run girl run! You have survived thus far, so keep smart!! 🙂 Thank you James & have a wonderful weekend & look forward to an update please 🙂
May I just say my husband Neil and I have just spent time with friends at Mabula Timeshare. At a meeting with timesharers and the usual Thursday Tea, the Reserve Manager told us that they recently acquired two very large male cheetahs from Namibia (I think). They weigh around 65 kilos each and have been taking down large animals. Mabula had 64 ostriches but the Cheetahs have now reduced the number to 4! They DO enjoy their poultry! They also acquired a young female Cheetah who has produced 2 little males. So some juggling will be done here in due course.
Further to the above may I add that these 2 male Cheetahs. not being able to finish off a large meal, have walked off and left it to come back to later. However – leopards from around the area are now coming to finish off the meals left by the Cheetahs and are turning into Happy Scavengers. The result is that a LOT more sightings of leopards are happening at Mabula. Everyone’s happy – the Cheetahs, the Leopards and the Tourists!!
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for the update. I imagine the one party that is not so happy are the remaining 4 Ostriches!
I’m happy to see this girl is holding her own so far! Let’s hope that continues! What is the normal life span of an Ostrich (assuming she doesn’t get eaten first!)? Thanks for the great pictures and video James, and I look forward to further updates.
Wow, may those Ostrich should retreat into the Kruger while they still have their feathers.. Would be very difficult to raise chicks in that environment.
Awesome footage! Just goes to show that every animal has its own magnificence.
I love the ostrich. So glad you shared this bit about them.
Please continue to talk to us about them and keep us posted on their hijinks and adventures.
Maybe color vision also is a feature in the bird’s favor?
What resilience to make a such a solitary home amongst all these predators! Is it normal for ostriches to be on their own like she has for so long (until her male pal has been present of late…though with this going on I see him high-tailing it out soon). I am cheering for this girl and feeling a bit of kinship with her.