A group of tourists on a safari through the Serengeti in Tanzania received an experience they will never forget, when a curious cheetah hopped into their car.
Wildlife photographer Peter Heistein captured the amazing moment on camera.
Heistein was leading the safari for Grand Ruaha Safaris with his stepson when the cheetah popped through the car door for a look around.
“After a time, they got up and started to move in unison as we were photographing from the road. They moved diagonally across our field of view and as they neared the vehicle the two younger brothers broke off and came towards us.
“The cheetah makes use of high points such as termite mounds to scan the environment. Apparently, we represented a unique scouting platform to them. Before we knew it, one jumped on the hood of the safari vehicle while the other made use of the spare tyres out back to get into the rear window.”
Heistein said that while the group was a little alarmed by the intrusion, the cheetah was simply curious and wanted to have a look around.
He said: “Britt credits our experienced guide Alex Mnyangabe with helping him stay calm and asked me to film him. It being Britt’s first trip it was certainly alarming to him, but no one felt threatened as the cheetah was simply just curious and showed no aggression whatsoever.
“After a short exploration the three of them moved away to continue on their way. An amazing experience we will never forget.”
