A cheetah had nerves of steel when it stood its ground against the massive Red Road Male lion for its impala! The cheetah let the lion get a little too close…

How it Happened:

The wildest turn of events happened at Manyeleti Game Reserve recently. A lone wild dog caught an impala, which was taken by a lone cheetah, which was then taken by a lone lion!

The virtual safari team at Tintswalo Safari Lodge, and one of their guests, Dean Robinson, captured the footage. The wild dog was too quick to be filmed, sadly, but what happened after that was incredible and all captured.

Wild dogs don’t often hunt alone, but this one did. A nearby cheetah watched everything play out and noticed it had no friends around, so it challenged and was able to take the wild dog’s catch quite easily.

The cheetah, feeling very proud, just sat down to enjoy its meal when the sound of heavy footsteps brought everything to a swift end. You could almost feel the cheetah’s disappointment as it stopped eating to scan the bushes.

It was exciting for everyone watching in the vehicles! There was something very concerning for the cheetah, but what? Then it appeared, one of the most famous lions in the reserve, the Red Road Male!

This is a big lion, and everyone expected the cheetah to bolt at first glance, and would you blame it? But it didn’t… Maybe it had a boost of confidence from the wild dog interaction, or maybe it was just really hungry, but it chose to stay!

The lion wasn’t intimidated by the stare-down at all. He approached the cheetah and didn’t break his gaze even once. The cheetah was incredibly still holding its ground, and knew it had to try something else. The impala was far too heavy for it to carry away, so it started moaning!

It wasn’t very intimidating, more of a frustration call, but it was incredible to hear, and it got louder as the lion came closer. Silence came shortly after when the lion’s movement changed. Then, just as the lion started trotting, the cheetah dashed for safety into the bushes.

The ending was expected, but it was the effort from the cheetah that really stood out. It was amazing to see, and what’s cool is that Tintswalo hosts a weekly virtual safari, so you can keep up with this exact cheetah’s story if you follow them.