Warthog and cheetah swap roles

The mother charged the predatory cat and its companion, kicking off a 15-minute fight on the plains of Chobe National Park, in north-west Botswana.

“The mother warthog had three piglets to start with and the cheetah managed to get one,” said Lee Wittham, a South African guide and photographer who was leading a tour at the time.

“The cheetahs had already set upon the young warthog but the mother was determined to make a stand and turned on the cheetah and chased them away a few times.

“Cheetahs are rather timid and as soon as something challenges them they usually retreat for fear of injury.

“If they injure themselves they cannot hunt and will die as a result. “But, despite a valiant effort, the natural hierarchy of the animal kingdom was restored, and the cheetahs successfully frightened off the mother before finishing a well-deserved meal.

“The mother warthog remained in the area for some time and actually returned to the site of the kill later that day and sniffed around as if looking for her missing piglet,” Mr Wittham said.