The wildlife has grown so accustomed to the presence of vehicles in many popular safari locations, particularly in Africa, that it usually ignores them, allowing tourists to view the magnificence of these animals up close.
In one such video, shared on Twitter by Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Surender Mehra, a cheetah is seen boarding a jeep that was ferrying tourists around a park on a safari. The animal even jumped onto the vehicle, and the stunned tourists began filming it up-close.
The animal first appears in the clip clambering up onto the vehicle's spare wheel mounted at the rear. The big cat then climbs inside the vehicle. The animal quickly ascends to the vehicle's roof and begins scanning the area from its new vantage point.
Mr Mehra also tagged IFS officer Susanta Nanda, who regularly shares videos of animals in the wild.
Watch the video here:
So far, the video has been viewed over 13,000 times, with many people even commenting on it. One user wrote, “The wild feels so much at ease because it is at home”, and added, “The man/woman acts like it's an extra-terrestrial experience.”
These cheetahs climb the vehicles likely for the same reason they might climb a tree — it's a good vantage point and a high place to scent-mark. Highlighting this fact, one user wrote, “The cheetah now has a wonderful viewing platform, which can be moved as needed.”
Another user wrote that the cheetah was the “king”. “I am at the top says the cheetah, leaving the visitors unharmed,” added the user.
“It really is another world,” said a user.
“This is what we wanted on our trip to the Masai Mara, Kenya,” wrote one more user, and added, “Saw a lot of cheetahs but failed to experience this.”
The tourists on the safari undoubtedly received more than they anticipated when the cheetah climbed inside their car for a closer look.
