Savannah Patrol

Savannah Patrol was painted after Dick van Heerde's visit to the reserves of North and East Africa at the turn of the twenty-first century. During his tour, he witnessed these two cheetahs prowling the expansive grasslands and was careful and quiet enough to be able to sketch the entire scene in detail in pencil, later to develop the painting on canvas. The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal and can reach speeds in excess of 60mph. They often can be found hunting on the savannah in pairs. Unfortunately, the cheetah population has declined over the past few years, due partly to the commercial development of Africa and to the consequent loss of the cheetah's natural habitat.