Ever been on a safari? Have you been on one with a cheetah as a passenger? Seems pretty scary!
Britton Hayes was on an African safari, taking a peek at three cheetahs in the Gol Kopjes of the Serengeti, reports KOMO News. Then, the pretty cats noticed their Jeep and dropped by to look around.
“We started to notice the cheetahs became curious of the vehicle,” Hayes told KOMO. “But it was too late to drive quickly away or anything like that because you don’t want to startle the animals, because that’s when things usually go wrong.”
While the group stared at a cheetah that had—as Hayes puts it—“hopped onto the hood,” another jumped into the backseat of their Jeep. Guhhhhh.
Immediately, Hayes guide explained how they should respond and urged them to slow their breathing until the cheetah was done exploring.
Expectedly, Hayes was pretty freaked out.
“Honestly, it was probably one of the scariest moments of my life while it was happening,” he told KOMO. “I felt like I had to clear my mind of any thoughts because from everything you’re told about predators like that, they can sense fear and any sort of discomfort you’re feeling and they’ll react accordingly.”
Luckily, no one was harmed. But the group came away with quite a story to share.