A group of people was exploring the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Suddenly, they saw a family of cheetahs gathering on the bank of a river. The river was swollen, the current was strong, but the animals did not care. Their only metal was to cross it and they set about it.
The biggest cheetahs jumped into the water and everyone held their breath. The others followed, and as everyone looked at the swimmers, photographers Arnfinn Johansen and Buddhilini De Soyza seized the opportunity and pulled out the cameras. Both managed to perfectly capture the drama of the scene.
Arnfinn Johansen: arnfinnjohansen.com | Facebook | Instagram
Buddhilini De Soyza: buddhilini.com | Instagram
Photographer Arnfinn Johansen said he had been following the cheetahs for a long time. “They hunt on both sides of the Talek River, so it is normal that they want to cross it. Normally they cross it by stones, but this year it rained a lot and the river was very swollen, so it was difficult to do so. They walked along the shore for a while, looking for a place to cross. With a strong current, it was very dangerous. Also, Nile crocodiles live in that river, and a cheetah is a food for them.
Johansen said it is possible that one died that day. “Not too long ago, another cheetah died crossing this same river… it was drowned or killed by crocodiles, so it is a great risk. After reviewing the area for a long time, the 5 cheetahs dared. ”
“First the leader jumped into the river, and 2 more followed. The 2 smallest ones waited a few seconds and then they jumped too.
Johansen claims they swam as fast as they could. “You could tell they didn’t like it.” Luckily, all the cheetahs managed to get to the other side alive, and when the leader got out of the water, he shook his fur and tail, and even snorted into the river.
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