Getting close encounters with wild animals must be a dream came true for any wildlife enthusiast, but probably not so close as this Irish tourist. While on a safari in Kenya’s Masai Mara reserve, the man got the surprise of his life after an adult wild cheetah got too close for comfort. The moment was caught on camera and it is too heart-thumping to watch!
Mickey McCaldin from Ireland was on a safari trip, when the group of vehicles came across Masai Mara’s most famous cheetah family. Everyone was admiring the majestic cats, but some of them got closer than expected. Not bothered at all by the human presence, some of the cheetahs climbed on a vehicle, but one of them was more curious, so he jumped right into the backseat of a car.
Even though cheetahs look so cute and they seem pretty friendly, they nothing but fearless predators, so they can be extremely dangerous. Therefore you can guess what your reaction would be, if come face to face with such a wild beast. So unsurprisingly, McCaldin, who was sitting there couldn’t find his reactions anymore. The moment was caught on camera by David Horsey, a good friend of McCaldin, who was sitting in front of him.
“I’ve been living in Kenya all my life and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Horsey from Mombasa, Kenya told Caters News. “He [the cheetah] just wasn’t scared of getting up close and personal. At first Mickey was really relaxed but I think he was quite concerned it might try and sit in his lap. Unlike a domestic cat, you certainly don’t want that.”
Though for McCaldin looked like an eternity, the cheetah leaved the vehicle after a few moments. Then, the group of wild cats starred at the tourists from a short distance, before losing their ways in the distance.
“Once it had got bored of Mickey it turned away and looked out of the vehicle for a few minutes,” the 62-year-old Horsey said. “It just jumped out afterwards.”
Watch the dramatic scenes here: