Dolph C. Volker | Do Cheetahs Eat Carrion? Man Plays Dead Inside Big Cat Enclosure To Test Predator Theory @CheetahWhisperer | Uploaded November 2018 | Updated October 2024, 11 hours ago.
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With 'Gabriel The Cheetahs' help, we test whether a cheetah eats carrion as I play dead inside his enclosure. Ok, I was just funning but it is a known fact that cheetahs eat very clean. They don't hoard food, don't return to their kills afterward, don't track down carrion to eat and are easily run off their kills. There are various reasons that cheetahs do not eat carrion and it is mostly due to their smaller stature compared to other larger predators and their genetic design.
I've mentioned before that Cheetahs are physically and mentally designed to run and not fight. They sacrifice a lot of muscle, strength and design to be able to hunt the fastest prey that other predators can't chase down. Cheetahs have a special niche of prey but can and do tackle larger ones when they have help from coalition partners, like brothers or introduced coalition males from other mothers.
So, why don't Cheetahs eat carrion? Multiple factors which some are fact while others my theory. Most health problems cheetahs have are due to their lack of genetic diversity due to a genetic bottlenecking that occurred before the last Ice Age. They turned to Inbreeding to survive as a species and that resulted in a weakened breeding stock; making them more susceptible to diseases.
Cheetahs don't have a robust digestive system like hyenas, lions, crocodiles, or vultures. Yes, they can digest bone like the other cats, but are more susceptible to diseases from bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungus. Cheetahs have NOT historically fed upon carrion and so not designed genetically to handle rancid foods. Ask a vulture or crocodile to eat days old rancid meat and they will with no problems. Gabriel got very sick once for a few days with an intestinal problem and I highly suspect it was bad donated chicken. Since legally owning Gabriel, I buy him fresh game meat to help avoid that.
But, the temperament of Cheetahs is also why I believe the don't eat "the dead". Cheetahs are highly skittish and don't like conflict and will innately bluff and avoid conflict because they cannot win battles against leopards, lions, or even hyenas who are much more powerful. So, Cheetahs don't challenge other predators for their food or kills. For instance, there is no instances where a cheetah climbed a tree to feed on a leopard's kill or any other predator's kill. They simply can't chase off other predators from their prey; not even smaller predators, like a caracals and jakals.
A Cheetahs sense of smell is not as keen as a lions, leopards, or tigers. They have enough to sense a cheetah in heat but they have to get very close to a scent to properly identify it. I often see them dipping down close to the ground to get a proper sniff of something. A Cheetahs large eyes and great sense of hearing is more important to them for survival.
Also, in the wilds of Africa, nothing of nutritional value to a predator lasts long. True scavengers quickly consume anything left over from a death; making the opportunity to feed from it limited. A scavenger's design is to look out for the dead and that is NOT what a predator like a cheetah does. A Cheetah makes the kill. So, I think for a Cheetah to suddenly switch to eating carrion would be a detriment to its health for this and other reasons I mention.
Ok, in the wild there are no clean drinking fountains and the brackish water is certainly something to consider when talking about ingesting rancid, bacterial waters. Wild animals do get sick from drinking this kind of water... ones where animals constantly defecate and urinate in them but also get killed and create decaying debris in it. Cheetahs don't wait for it to rain to drink fresh water. Cheetahs drink from lakes, ponds, and rivers, but they also get much of their liquids from the blood of t heir kills. Certain immunity occurs from drinking and surviving such dirty parasitic and diseased waters but I think the Cheetahs limited genetic mix is a reason for them to avoid eating carrion.
Captive cheetahs raised with their mothers helps them build immunity, size, and strength. I've seen cheetah mom suckle their cubs up to 8 months old. When they do, the nutrient and protection from that milk is an advantage to the cub. Captive bred and hand raised cheetahs without their moms are much more susceptible to diseases than ones raised without their moms.
A Cheetah will not eat me as I play dead inside its enclosure because of its nature, but in Gabriel's case, it is because I am his best friend so why would he? :-)
"Playing Dead Inside An Animals Enclosure - One Animal At A Time," Dolph C. Volker
Facebook: facebook.com/The-Cheetah-Whisperer-200126363927484
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Please like and share this video if you like it ;)
With 'Gabriel The Cheetahs' help, we test whether a cheetah eats carrion as I play dead inside his enclosure. Ok, I was just funning but it is a known fact that cheetahs eat very clean. They don't hoard food, don't return to their kills afterward, don't track down carrion to eat and are easily run off their kills. There are various reasons that cheetahs do not eat carrion and it is mostly due to their smaller stature compared to other larger predators and their genetic design.
I've mentioned before that Cheetahs are physically and mentally designed to run and not fight. They sacrifice a lot of muscle, strength and design to be able to hunt the fastest prey that other predators can't chase down. Cheetahs have a special niche of prey but can and do tackle larger ones when they have help from coalition partners, like brothers or introduced coalition males from other mothers.
So, why don't Cheetahs eat carrion? Multiple factors which some are fact while others my theory. Most health problems cheetahs have are due to their lack of genetic diversity due to a genetic bottlenecking that occurred before the last Ice Age. They turned to Inbreeding to survive as a species and that resulted in a weakened breeding stock; making them more susceptible to diseases.
Cheetahs don't have a robust digestive system like hyenas, lions, crocodiles, or vultures. Yes, they can digest bone like the other cats, but are more susceptible to diseases from bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungus. Cheetahs have NOT historically fed upon carrion and so not designed genetically to handle rancid foods. Ask a vulture or crocodile to eat days old rancid meat and they will with no problems. Gabriel got very sick once for a few days with an intestinal problem and I highly suspect it was bad donated chicken. Since legally owning Gabriel, I buy him fresh game meat to help avoid that.
But, the temperament of Cheetahs is also why I believe the don't eat "the dead". Cheetahs are highly skittish and don't like conflict and will innately bluff and avoid conflict because they cannot win battles against leopards, lions, or even hyenas who are much more powerful. So, Cheetahs don't challenge other predators for their food or kills. For instance, there is no instances where a cheetah climbed a tree to feed on a leopard's kill or any other predator's kill. They simply can't chase off other predators from their prey; not even smaller predators, like a caracals and jakals.
A Cheetahs sense of smell is not as keen as a lions, leopards, or tigers. They have enough to sense a cheetah in heat but they have to get very close to a scent to properly identify it. I often see them dipping down close to the ground to get a proper sniff of something. A Cheetahs large eyes and great sense of hearing is more important to them for survival.
Also, in the wilds of Africa, nothing of nutritional value to a predator lasts long. True scavengers quickly consume anything left over from a death; making the opportunity to feed from it limited. A scavenger's design is to look out for the dead and that is NOT what a predator like a cheetah does. A Cheetah makes the kill. So, I think for a Cheetah to suddenly switch to eating carrion would be a detriment to its health for this and other reasons I mention.
Ok, in the wild there are no clean drinking fountains and the brackish water is certainly something to consider when talking about ingesting rancid, bacterial waters. Wild animals do get sick from drinking this kind of water... ones where animals constantly defecate and urinate in them but also get killed and create decaying debris in it. Cheetahs don't wait for it to rain to drink fresh water. Cheetahs drink from lakes, ponds, and rivers, but they also get much of their liquids from the blood of t heir kills. Certain immunity occurs from drinking and surviving such dirty parasitic and diseased waters but I think the Cheetahs limited genetic mix is a reason for them to avoid eating carrion.
Captive cheetahs raised with their mothers helps them build immunity, size, and strength. I've seen cheetah mom suckle their cubs up to 8 months old. When they do, the nutrient and protection from that milk is an advantage to the cub. Captive bred and hand raised cheetahs without their moms are much more susceptible to diseases than ones raised without their moms.
A Cheetah will not eat me as I play dead inside its enclosure because of its nature, but in Gabriel's case, it is because I am his best friend so why would he? :-)
"Playing Dead Inside An Animals Enclosure - One Animal At A Time," Dolph C. Volker
Facebook: facebook.com/The-Cheetah-Whisperer-200126363927484
