Cheetahs are the fastest animals on Earth. They’re built for speed and stealth. They can go days without eating, then take down an impala and devour it within a matter of hours. A human would stand no chance in the presence of this big cat. Except Kim Wolhuter – the man who walks among cheetahs. Wolhuter is continuing his family’s legacy of conservation. Both his father and grandfather were game rangers at the Kruger National Park. Wolhuter was born here, within South Africa's largest wildlife sanctuary. But he chose to take a different path and became a filmmaker. “I like to think they’d be proud of it,” Wolhuter says. “I spend more time in the field than anybody. Not only that, I get to develop close bonds with animals.”
In particular, Wolhuter has an affinity for cheetahs. Photographer Adrian Steirn spent time alongside Wolhuter to capture his dedication to protecting them. “It’s a labour of love, what he does,” Steirn says. “He’s been going to these lengths for 30 years to show us how special these animals are.” Spending day after day with the big cats, Wolhuter is aware of the potential danger. But greater than the risk cheetahs pose is the risk they face. “We don’t know the real story behind how vulnerable cheetahs are,” Steirn says. “We have to stand by people like Kim because if we don't, we will lose the animals that they’re trying to protect.”
Footage by Adrian Steirn was used in the creation of this film.
Up Next in Season 1
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Thandi the Rhino by Adrian Steirn
In March 2012, the Kariega Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa was targeted by poachers. Three rhinos were left for dead. All hope that there would be any survivors seemed lost. And yet, Thandi – the only female in the attack – made it. Her name means love, and it’s thanks to the tir...
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Numbats
They’re skittish, have a penchant for termites, and there’s fewer than 1 000 of them left. Numbats were once widespread across Australia. But today, the indigenous marsupials have all but disappeared from the country.
The two remaining wild populations of numbats live in the Dryandra Woodland and... -
White Rhino
The second largest mammal in Africa faces constant threat as a result of poaching activity. This story serves as a reminder of why taking rhino horns makes the species more vulnerable in the wild and deprives it from behavioural functions.
