Hunting Cheetah in Africa
The African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the fastest animal in Africa. It can run at speeds up to 70 miles per hour for short distances. Its 0 to 60 mph time is three seconds. The cat uses this speed to run down prey such as plains game and rabbit-sized animals. An adult African cheetah weighs between 45 to 160 pounds. It stands 25 to 37 inches tall at the shoulder. Males tend to have slightly larger bodies than females, but they are so close in size that it’s hard to determine sex.
African cheetahs have semi-retractable claws that offer extra grip in chasing prey. When it’s at full speed, its respiration rises from 60 to 150 breaths per minute. A cheetah’s tail is 24 to 35 inches long, and the animal uses it as a rudder to aid in turning. Agility accounts for the cheetah’s success capturing prey. It can decelerate by 10 miles per hour in one stride. This ability allows it to turn inside a prey animal and close the distance rapidly.
The African cheetah is a prolific breeder in the wild. The litter can contain 8-9 cubs. However, cub mortality is quite high, averaging 50% up to as high as 75% due to other predators. Females are sexually mature in 20 to 24 months. Males usually don’t breed until age 36 months. Gestation is 90-100 days. Cubs stay with the female between 12 and 20 months. The cheetah is a vulnerable animal, being unable to adapt to changes in its environment without difficulty. Its life span is 10 to 12 years in the wild.
Africa cheetah hunting is very controlled. They are strictly protected as a CITIES Appendix 1 animal. In the early 1990s, CITIES approved quotas for cheetah trophies from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. However, United States Fish and Wildlife (USF&W) will not allow importation of cheetah trophies from anywhere.
The only current African cheetah hunting is in Namibia. The Namibian Permit Office of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism has very specific rules and guidelines for predator hunting, some of which follows.
A trophy hunter, hunter guide and operator must read and sign the trophy hunting permit before the hunt begins. The permit must be in the guide’s possession during the hunt. The operator must notify the Ministry seven days before the hunt begins. The permit is non-transferrable, valid for a specific time, and issued to the trophy hunter. There is a long list of hunting regulations that follow these that have to do with exactly how to go African cheetah hunting in regards to the animal, hunting times, specific area, and photos that must be taken.
For African cheetah hunting, just about any rifle in the .270 to .300 range with a rapidly-expanding bullet 150 grains or larger will get the job done. Keep your shots behind the foreleg about â…” of the way down the body. If the African cheetah is on an angle, aim for the shoulder on the opposite side.
