Window of opportunity ... impala escapes two hungry cheetahs by leaping into a car
This is the incredible moment an impala escaped two hungry cheetahs by leaping into a car full of tourists. The terrified creature is seen running away from the big cats before leaping in through a window of the stationary Toyota Prado. The animal had been chased by the cheetah with the rest of its herd but soon it was the only one left behind. As the fearsome cheetahs started to corner the impala, it took the
giant leap of faith.
Samantha Pittendrigh, 20, filmed the scenes in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
She said: “We had absolutely no idea what was going on.
Terror ... herd of impalas run from cheetah...
“We watched the cheetah chasing the impala. We saw a few of them turn around in the bushes towards the road they were running from.
“All of a sudden we saw the impala jump out of the bushes and then someone started screaming ‘it is in the car, it is in the car’.
“We heard a little girl screaming in the car. The boy sitting outside the car filming looked a lot younger, so it must have been a family.”
Safe ... the cheetahs slow down as the impala waits in the security of the car
In the confusion, one of the passengers managed to open a door and the impala is seen just seconds later trotting across the road to freedom.
The cheetahs are just yards away but do not give chase. She added: “It really is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and we managed to be in the right place at the right time.”
