Eleanor the cheetah supermom

Cheetahs in the wild are declining. By some estimates, there are only 10,000 left outside of captivity. Cheetahs have a lot working against them, including the fact they can’t roar. One lady cheetah, however, is doing her part.

There are a rare few, however, that somehow manage to beat the odds and enjoy astonishing success in raising cubs, some even fostering the offspring of other females. Superb hunters and wise in the ways of the bush, these supermoms manage to make a kill nearly every day while keeping their brood safe on the wide-open stage of the African grasslands, beneath the very noses of lions and hyenas. One such supermom, a seven-year-old named Eleanor, is known to have mothered at least 10 percent of all the adult cheetahs in the southern Serengeti.

(via @mikenizza)

• cheetahs