Cheetah Jumps Onto Antelope’s Back, Brings It Down Within Seconds Before Eating It, Photographs Show

A cheetah was caught on camera jumping onto an antelope’s back and wrestling it to the ground. The attack took place in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, last week, and was captured by Canadian photographer Jeffery Wu.

A photographic tour group lead by Wu spotted a pack of five cheetahs on the banks of the Talek River. After waiting for almost six hours, the pack targeted a group of antelopes that were resting in the grass.

A series of photos showed one of the cheetahs launching an attack on one of the antelopes- also known as topis. In the photos, the cheetah can be seen jumping onto the antelope’s back. When the antelope tries to kick back, it loses its balance and falls off. The antelope, which was brought down in less than three seconds, was then eaten by the pack of cheetahs.

Speaking about the incident, the photographer said, an antelope “is strong and fast with great stamina and very sharp horns. It is very easy for a cheetah to get injured during the fight. But for five cheetahs, hunting larger prey like topis and wildebeest is their usual routine because only larger sized mammals can satisfy that many appetites.”