Spot of Bother: Cheetah Falls Through Car Roof Startling Tourists

By Rebecca Lewis @RebeccaSLewis

CHEETAHS are known for speed, accuracy and grace – but this agile predator humiliated itself after falling into a JEEP full of tourists

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Videographer / Director: Amir Ahmed
Producer: Rebecca Lewis, Chloe Browne
Editor: Sonia Estal, Ian Phillips, Kyle Waters

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On the prowl: a curious cheetah investigates a group of tourists

The curious cat was playing with seven other cheetahs in the Maasai Mara, Kenya, much to the delight of some watching safari-goers.

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The agile cat moves in for a closer look

Amir Ahmed, a 69-year-old airline pilot from Dubai, was touring the famous reserve with friends and parked nearby to watch the big cats play.

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Easy tiger: the inquisitive cat loses his footing and takes a tumble through the roof of the jeep

When one took a shining to their Land Rover and jumped onto the bonnet Amir began to film the encounter.

But as the cheetah made its way towards him, the elegant cat lost its footing and fell into the jeep.

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The passengers duck down as the predator scrambles to climb out

After the initial shock - and realising they weren’t in any danger - Amir and his friends were able to laugh. 

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Not so elegent now: the shocked cheetah grapples to get out of the vehicle

He said: “It was very unexpected. I was actually trapped at the end of the land rover, with nowhere to go but to duck down.

“He was virtually a foot away from me. It was quite an amazing picture - he was so close to me.

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The cheetah hoists itself away from the tourists

“There wasn’t much time to think about the danger. Having grown up in Kenya and known animals and lived around them, I’ve seen plenty of wild animals.

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Almost there: the cheetah attempts a speedy exit

“As long as you respect the animals and don’t threaten them they’re quite harmless. The only time when they would become vicious and attack them is if you threaten them.

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Curiosity killed the cat: the humiliated cheetah manages to escape from the vehicle

“It was quite a scary moment because if there was a time he was going to attack or panic that would be it.”

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Did anyone see that? The clumsy cat makes a speedy exit

Cheetahs in the Maasai Mara are familiar with jeeps and tourists.

They often climb onto the roof for a better vantage point or to relax in the sun.  

While Amir captured the footage in 2011, it has only recently become popular on social media.