A group of tourists on a safari had a close call when a cheetah climbed onto their open-top jeep.
The video, captured in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, shows a cheetah vaulting onto the vehicle and lounging on the roof for some time.
Jonas Meyer, 25, who was in the jeep alongside another tourist and two safari guides, captured the incredible moment on camera.
Jonas, a university student, said: “Initially, I was both amazed and somewhat alarmed by the cheetah’s boldness.
“My initial fear was somewhat allayed by the presence of our guides but seeing them also duck and exhibit signs of fear reignited my apprehension.
“As time passed, my initial fear subsided somewhat, although the adrenaline rush was evident as you might notice from the heavy breathing in the footage.”
According to Jonas, the cheetah had been camouflaged nearby and jumped onto the jeep to use it as a vantage point to scout for prey.
He said: “Initially, the cheetah was camouflaged, lying on a small hill approximately one metre high, amidst termite mounds.
“It then leaped onto the back of our vehicle and after a short while jumped down again.
“The cheetah spent some time lounging on the roof and then settled on the rear of the car for an extended period – approximately 6-8 minutes – before gracefully dismounting and lying in the grass again.”
No one in the vehicle was armed so if the cheetah had become aggressive, the group’s only recourse would have been to scare it.
Jonas said: “It’s important to note that in the Serengeti National Park, guides do not carry weapons.
“Our only potential recourse, had the cheetah become aggressive, would have been to start the vehicle to scare it away.”
The video was filmed in January 2022.
