Cheetahs chase tourists at Dutch safari park
AFrench family of three managed to escape a coalition of hungry cheetahs unscathed after they exited their vehicle to snap pictures of the wild animals — and the heart-stopping moment was caught on tape.
At first, the three cheetahs appeared calm, lounging on a patch of grass at Safari Park Beekse Bergen, in the Netherlands, as the family parked their car a few feet away. A man exited the car and began to take pictures of the cats, foxnews. com reported.
Moments later, a woman also got out of the vehicle to put some items in the trunk, with a small child getting out behind her.
They eventually got back in their car and drove off — seconds before one of the cheetahs took notice. The large cat began to chase the car as it drove down a dirt path.
Seconds later, the video panned to the family, once again leaving their car and climbing a small hill to take pictures of the creatures. But this time, the cats were ready to pounce. A group of tourists in the car behind them, who captured the terrifying encounter on video, gasped and yelled as they watched the cats surround the family.
As the cheetahs start to circle, the man ran and the woman is seen picking up the child, stopping to stare at one of the wild cats before quickly walking away. One of the cheetahs follows closely behind, lunging at the family as they scramble to get back inside their car.
Fortunately, the family makes it just in time.
Park manager Niels de Wildt confirmed the authenticity of the video to Dutch radio station NOS Radio 1 News.
A park spokesman told the station visitors are instructed never to leave their vehicles and warned about the dangers of interacting with wild animals.
“We inform visitors about the risks in several languages throughout the park,” the spokesman told NOS.