Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Tourists pose for pictures with family of CHEETAHS after the wild cats pounce on their safari jeep in Kenya

  • Dhaval Shah, 30, was unfazed when the four cheetahs leapt on to the car 
  • Shah and friend Upesh Mungra posed calmly with the family of African cats
  • Duo from Jamnagar in India described experience as 'exciting and scary'
A quick-thinking photographer took a self paw-trait of himself and a family of cheetahs when they jumped on a car.
Dhaval Shah, 30, was unfazed when the four cheetahs leapt onto the jeep he was in with close friend Upesh Mungra, 31.
The pair watched as the big cats clambered on top of the car in the Masai Mara, Kenya.

Upesh Mungra (left) and Dhaval Shah (right) started taking their selfie photos with the cheetahs in Kenya
Upesh Mungra (left) and Dhaval Shah (right) started taking their selfie photos with the cheetahs in Kenya

Close up photos taken of the cheetahs show the moment that one of the cubs stood next to its mother, Malaika, five, and licked its lips as it approached the pair
Close up photos taken of the cheetahs show the moment that one of the cubs stood next to its mother, Malaika, five, and licked its lips as it approached the pair

Clement Mwangi takes photos of Dhaval Shah and Upesh Mungra taking their selfie photos with the cheetahs
Clement Mwangi takes photos of Dhaval Shah and Upesh Mungra taking their selfie photos with the cheetahs

They both posed calmly with the animals and snapped away while cautiously moving behind them, just centimetres away.
One of the cubs stood next to its mother, Malaika, five, and licked its lips as it approached the pair.
Mr Shah, from Jamnagar, India, wearing a blue t-shirt in the pictures, said: 'We were lucky the cheetahs didn't bite us.
'It was amazing experience, a life time experience we couldn't even imagine because we were so close to Malaika and her cubs.
'It was very exciting and scary too but we loved it.'

The quick-thinking photographer took a self paw-trait of himself and the family of cheetahs when they jumped on the car
The quick-thinking photographer took a self paw-trait of himself and the family of cheetahs when they jumped on the car

Shah was unfazed when the four cheetahs leapt onto the jeep he was in with close friend Upesh Mungra 
Shah was unfazed when the four cheetahs leapt onto the jeep he was in with close friend Upesh Mungra 

Mr Shah, who imports brass scrap from the UK and US, added: 'The cheetahs were just six inches away from us, we were planning to touch them but we were scared.
'They were sitting on top of the car for around 20 minutes, and we spent our time taking up to 50 pictures with them.
'We were on our first Masai safari and I would love my family and friends to experience it too.'
He was in the car with Mr Mungra, from Jamnagar, India, who was wearing the yellow shirt and also imports brass scrap.
And in another set of fantastic photographs, Clement Mwangi, 35, captured the fantastic moment the sun set with the cheetahs on the car.

The pair watched as the big cats clambered on top of the car in the Masai Mara, Kenya
The pair watched as the big cats clambered on top of the car in the Masai Mara, Kenya

They both posed calmly with the animals and snapped away while cautiously moving behind them
They both posed calmly with the animals and snapped away while cautiously moving behind them

Mr Mwangi, from Nairobi, Kenya, said: 'This specific evening was my second day 
out of seven and we had gone looking for any big cats to shoot with the evening light.
'You don't always find what you are looking for, but I was lucky to stumble across this family of cheetahs.
'They like to climb on top of the cars for a better vantage point.
'On this occasion they climbed on top of a vehicle with very brave men inside, who decided to take a chance and take selfies with them.
'The family is a mother called 'Malaika' - which is a swahili word meaning 'angel' and her three children. They are about two years old while their mother is five years old.
'They were keeping to their business of scouting the plains. They were curious because we were right there, but not very bothered.
'It lasted about 35 minutes then they moved on after the driver switched on the engine and they jumped off the car.
'It was amazing, I wanted a good set of photos of big cats with the evening sun and I managed to get them.' 

Mr Shah, who imports brass scrap from the UK and US, added: 'The cheetahs were just six inches away from us, we were planning to touch them but we were scared'
Mr Shah, who imports brass scrap from the UK and US, added: 'The cheetahs were just six inches away from us, we were planning to touch them but we were scared'

Shah said: 'It was amazing experience, a life time experience we couldn't even imagine because we were so close to Malaika and her cubs'
Shah said: 'It was amazing experience, a life time experience we couldn't even imagine because we were so close to Malaika and her cubs'

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