The 'magnificent five' cheetah pack's dominance of the Masai Mara ends as they kill their kingpin 

The ‘magnificent five’ cheetah pack’s dominance of the Masai Mara ends in bloodshed as they turn on and kill their kingpin

  • The Tano Bora cheetah pack has come to an end after they killed their kingpin
  • ‘Magnificent five’ pack moved ruthlessly against their former leader Olpadan
  • The attack came after Olpadan formed a new alliance with a younger cheetah 
  • Wildlife photographer found Olpadan’s carcass near river in Masai Mara reserve


The famous ‘magnificent five’ cheetah pack’s dominance has come to a deadly end in Kenya after they killed their leader.

The Tano Bora all-male pack moved ruthlessly against their kingpin Olpadan, ending one of the most extraordinary coalitions in the Masai Mara nature reserve.

The body of former leader Olpadan was discovered by a wildlife photographer last month, who said the cheetah’s four former mates were seen fleeing the site.

Olpadan’s death came after he formed a new coalition with a younger cheetah, becoming the ‘competitor’ of his former pack, the photographer said.

The Tano Bora all-male pack (pictured) moved ruthlessly against their kingpin Olpadan, ending one of the most extraordinary partnerships in the Masai Mara nature reserve

The Tano Bora all-male pack (pictured) moved ruthlessly against their kingpin Olpadan, ending one of the most extraordinary partnerships in the Masai Mara nature reserve

The Great Swim, a magnificent photograph taken by Buddhilini de Soyza, shows the group swimming through the raging Talek River

The Great Swim, a magnificent photograph taken by Buddhilini de Soyza, shows the group swimming through the raging Talek River

The ‘magnificent five’ was made up of two brothers from one family and three from another, who are believed to be around six years old.

The pack of the fastest land mammals left observers fascinated with their unusual behaviour, according to The Australian.

The rare partnership challenged established assumptions about behaviour and relationships of the large African cats, which are typically seen alone, or at the most in a pair.

The five-strong pack’s dominance over territory and rivals across the national park, which is situated along Kenya’s Tanzanian border, attracted photographers to the area and snaps of the animals in action have won awards.

The Great Swim, a magnificent photograph taken by Buddhilini de Soyza, shows the group battling their way through the raging Talek River. The picture was highly commended in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

A photographer said the leader's death came after he broke off from the group and formed a new coalition with a younger cheetah, becoming the 'competitor' of his former mates

A photographer said the leader’s death came after he broke off from the group and formed a new coalition with a younger cheetah, becoming the ‘competitor’ of his former mates

The 'magnificent five' was made up of two brothers from one family and three from another, who are believed to be around six years old

The ‘magnificent five’ was made up of two brothers from one family and three from another, who are believed to be around six years old 

Their rare partnership (pictured) challenged established assumptions about behaviour and relationships of the large African cats, which are typically seen alone, or at the most in a pair

Their rare partnership (pictured) challenged established assumptions about behaviour and relationships of the large African cats, which are typically seen alone, or at the most in a pair

Wildlife photographer Jeffrey Wu discovered Olpadan’s carcass near to the Talek River and said he found his former mates running away with ‘bloody paws’. 

Sharing the news on Instagram, he said: ‘We found Olpadan’s body near Talek river on Olkiombo sid, multiple wounds were all over its body, sadly he was attacked and killed by four former mates of Tano Bora.

‘We found four remaining cheetahs distressed, running from the site of the body, jumped over Talek back to the reserve side, with bloody paws.’

Wu said the attack came after the leader broke off from the group and formed a new coalition with a younger cheetah, becoming the ‘competitor’ of his four former mates.

Wu added that male cheetahs will not tolerate other men in their area, even if it is a ‘former mate of the group’.

Rangers at the 60-year-old park are said to be monitoring the dynamics of the renamed Nne Bora, or magnificent four, which remains the largest known cheetah coalition, chief warden James Sindiyo said.

source: dailymail.co.uk