The reign of the famous ‘Magnificent Five’ cheetah coalition in Kenya’s Masai Mara has ended in violence, as the all-male pack turned on and killed their leader, Olpadan.
This incident marks the conclusion of one of the most remarkable cheetah alliances ever observed in the wild.
Olpadan’s lifeless body was discovered last month near the Talek River by wildlife photographer Jeffrey Wu, who noted that the four surviving cheetahs were seen fleeing the scene with blood on their paws.
According to Wu, the attack occurred after Olpadan left the group to form a new coalition with a younger cheetah, positioning himself as a rival to his former pack members.
The Tano Bora, Swahili for ‘Magnificent Five,’ consisted of two brothers from one family and three from another, all around six years old.
Their formation defied typical cheetah behavior, as male cheetahs are usually solitary or found in pairs.
This rare alliance challenged traditional beliefs about the behavior of these big cats, and their dominance over rivals and territory across the Masai Mara attracted significant attention from photographers and wildlife enthusiasts alike.
The coalition’s fame peaked with the capture of dramatic images, such as “The Great Swim” by Buddhilini de Soyza, which shows the cheetahs struggling through the raging Talek River.
This photograph was highly commended in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest, further cementing the group’s status as a wildlife spectacle.
After Olpadan’s death, Wu shared the news on Instagram, detailing the gruesome discovery: “We found Olpadan’s body near Talek River on Olkiombo side, multiple wounds were all over its body. Sadly, he was attacked and killed by four former mates of Tano Bora.”
He described the remaining cheetahs as distressed, fleeing the scene and leaping across the river into the reserve.
Wu explained that male cheetahs are territorial and will not tolerate other males encroaching on their area, even if it’s a former ally.
The fallout of Olpadan’s departure and subsequent rivalry proved fatal as the dynamics within the pack shifted dramatically.
Park rangers are closely monitoring the new group dynamics of the renamed ‘Nne Bora,’ or ‘Magnificent Four,’ which remains the largest known cheetah coalition, according to James Sindiyo, the chief warden of the Masai Mara reserve.
As this once formidable coalition adjusts to life without its leader, the future of the newly named pack remains uncertain.
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