A tour group on an African safari got their money’s worth after a curious cheetah hopped inside their vehicle.
Britton Hayes was taking part in a Grand Ruaha Safari through Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park with fellow travelers when a cheetah jumped on the hood of their Land Rover SUV and another cheetah jumped into the car’s back seat, according to Komo News.
ICYMI: Watch: Seattle man survives close encounter with cheetah during African Safari – https://t.co/UoBOLSRQIv
(Video courtesy: Peter Heistein) pic.twitter.com/vU32wWlmw9— KOMO News (@komonews) March 29, 2018
“We started to notice the cheetahs became curious of the vehicle; but it was too late to drive away or anything like that because you don’t want to startle the animals, because that’s when things usually go wrong,” Hayes told the publication, adding that, though occurrence was anything but common, the travelers were thankfully prepared for the occasion.
When a cheetah interrupts your safari (don’t look around) ? pic.twitter.com/T9cOUdpCl6
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 29, 2018
The cheetah spent roughly ten minutes inside the SUV.
“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,” Hayes told Komo News.
Though the experience was one of the “scariest moments” in his life, it was also exhilarating.
“I was scared to death, but I’ve never felt more alive,” Hayes told the publication of the encounter.