Family Narrowly Escapes Cheetah Attack In Safari Park

A French family on holiday narrowly managed to escape a pack of hungry cheetahs without any injuries after they exited their vehicle in a safari park to take a few pictures with the wild animals. The heart stopping moment was captured on video. On first appearance the three cheetahs seem quite calm as they chill out on the Grass at Safari Park Beeske Bergen in the Netherlands.

Family gets out of the car

The family stops and parks their car a couple of metres away and then a man gets out of the vehicle and begins taking photos of the big cat. A few seconds later a woman also gets out ostensibly to put something in the trunk with a small child in tow. Eventually all three get back into the vehicle and drive off just seconds before one of the cheetahs has taken notice. The big cat starts chasing the car as it drives away.

Making the same mistake twice

The video then pans to the family once again stepping out of their vehicle and climbing a small hill to snap more pics of the cheetahs. This time the cheetahs aren’t having it and are ready to pounce. The tourists sitting in the car behind the family and who captured the video can be heard gasping and yelling as the cheetahs surround the family.

A narrow escape

Worryingly the pack of cheetahs begin to circle the family, the man starts to run whilst the woman picks up her child and stops to stare at one of the cats before beating a retreat. One cheetah follows closely and launches an attack at the family as they scramble to get back in the vehicle. Fortunately for the family they make it back inside in time.

Tourists should not ignore park warnings

A spokesperson for the park says visitors are given instructions never to exit their vehicles and are warned about how dangerous it can be to interact with the animals. Park officials say they had heard reports of the incident but did not realise how serious it was until the video was posted on YouTube. The spokesperson said the cheetahs are on a food schedule so are not on the hunt. Instead their reaction is similar to humans when someone rings in unexpectedly. Nevertheless, they are wild animals and people should not ignore warnings placed around the park. The spokesman concluded that the family had been incredibly lucky.