Why the Cheetah Has Tear Stains

A lazy, wicked hunter sat under a tree watching springbok graze, wishing he could obtain meat without effort. He observed a female cheetah skillfully stalk and kill a springbok to feed her three cubs. Envious of her hunting prowess, the hunter devised a plan to steal her cubs and train them to hunt for him. While the mother cheetah went to drink at the waterhole, he stole all three cubs. Returning to find her babies missing, the mother cheetah wept inconsolably, her tears staining dark streaks down her face. A wise old man heard her cries, learned what happened, and reported the hunter's dishonorable deed to the village elders. The villagers, outraged at this violation of hunting traditions, banished the lazy hunter and returned the cubs to their mother. The cheetah's tear-stained face remains forever marked, serving as a reminder to hunters that honorable hunting requires using only one's own strength and skill.https://mythopia.io/story/52/why-the-cheetah-cheeks-are-stained