Kenyans chase down and catch goat-killing cheetahs (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Four villagers in north-east Kenya have chased down and captured two cheetahs which were killing their goats.

The owner of the goats told the BBC that the cheetahs had been picking off his animals one by one, day by day.

The men waited until the hottest part of the day before launching the chase over a distance of four miles (6.4km).

The cheetahs got so tired they could not run any more. The villagers captured them alive and handed them over to the Kenya Wildlife Service.

"I need compensation from them because the cheetahs killed most of my goats," Nur Osman Hassan told the BBC's Somali Service.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24953910




That's right, kids, these guys ran down -- on foot -- and captured alive two cheetahs. Then had the good sense to turn them over to authorities, instead of killing them.

I hope these goat farmers learn to add donkeys to their herds.

To read more about humans as pursuit predators, here are some good books:
http://www.powells.com/biblio/9780060958701
http://www.powells.com/biblio/9780307266309

[Historic NY]

1. No wonder they are great marathoners.

[happyslug]

2. Problems with Donkeys and goats.

The biggest problem with donkeys is they need better and more food then goats.

Goats prefer to browse on vines, such as kudzu, on shrubbery and on weeds, more like deer than sheep, preferring them to grasses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat#Diet

Donkeys obtain most of their energy from structural carbohydrates. Some suggest that a donkey needs to be fed only straw (preferably barley straw), supplemented with controlled grazing in the summer or hay in the winter, to get all the energy, protein, fat and vitamins it requires; others recommend some grain to be fed, particularly to working animals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey#Nutrition

Basically Goats are Browsers, i.e eat trigs, while Donkeys, like horses, cows and sheep are grazers, i.e eat grass. There is a good bit of over lap between Grazers and Browsers, but as a rule animals of each type prefer their own food (i.e. Browsers will eat grass but will prefer Browse i.e. trigs, Grazers will eat trigs but prefer Grass).

Thus there is a natural tendency for goats and donkeys to separate, donkeys after grass, goats after trigs. The article you cite in regard to Namibia also deals with cows, i.e. another Grazer (Donkeys are used in the States when it comes to preventing Wolves from attacking sheep, but sheep is another grazer). Thus the article is not a relevant reference when it comes to protection of goats. Cows, Horses and Donkeys are all grazers, goats are browsers. Grazers will tend to stay together and graze together (except in areas with limited grass then Donkeys will win out, as the larger animals leave for lack of grass). The same with Browsers, they tend to stay together.

Side note: Donkeys tend to be driven out by Horses out of any area that can support a horse, but survive quite well in areas which can NOT support a horse.

[passiveporcupine]

4. What are trigs?

Do you mean twigs? I have goats, and they eat grass, weeds, bark, shrubs, small branches (trigs?), pine needles, leaves, hay, grain...just about anything they can get hold of.

But donkeys can probably eat what cattle eat in Africa. There are a lot of cattle in Africa.

Horses are often kept with goats as companions, both being herd animals. I had a horse (grazer) a few years ago, with two little pygmy goats for companions. They went everywhere together. None of them suffered for food sources, being pastured together. Usually African livestock are herded but running free, not fenced into small enclosures, except at night, so I suspect that donkeys do just fine there, finding what they need to eat. Donkeys, mules and llamas are all good at chasing away dogs or other predators. If I didn't have a livestock dog here I'd probably have a donkey for livestock protection.

[happyslug]

5. I should not write at 2:00 am

Last edited Sun Nov 17, 2013, 01:03 PM - Edit history (1)

My point is that Goats and Donkeys will diverge, going after what they prefer first. Except for Bison and Sheep (Both 100% grazers), most Browsers can graze and Grazers can browse (I thought I mentioned that). The problem is the tendency for each to go after they prefer feed first, and by doing so end up miles from each other.

Also the articles I was responding to mentioned donkeys with goats and then cites an article of cows with donkeys. Thus you comparing a grazer with a browser with two grazers. That is the error, it appears minor, but in a free range area, the critical difference.

[passiveporcupine]

6. my point was

that herding animals tend to stick together. And Africans tend their herds, they may free range, but they are not allowed to wander away. My horse and goats always stayed together and my goats were free range here too. The horse was contained with electric fence but the goats could go anywhere because they could walk under the hot wire.

Now my goats follow my dogs around or me, if I'm outside, because I'm part of the herd. They would live in the house with me if I'd let them. They often come inside and have to be chased out when the front door is propped open for the dogs.

[brush]

3. No wonder the Kenyans always win the marathons

They're running down cheetahs for training.

Amazing!

[stuntcat]

7. Wow!

k&r for wows. And I'm glad to see they didn't have to kill them.