An Impala appears to be playing dead in order to escape the grips of both a cheetah and a spotted hyena!
Debate is still circling on whether this was a reaction out of pure shock, temporary unconsciousness due to asphyxiation or pure cunning on the part of the Impala.
The most likely scenario is that the Impala was hunted by the Cheetah, who then began to suffocate it, but was then interrupted by the Hyena who had plans on an easy meal.
The amazing video was posted on Youtube and garnered more than 3m views and mixed comments. A lot of people were glad that the impala was not eaten and fled without being seriously injured.
Some of the best comments:
“The impala went back and told the Herd what happened and no one believed him.”
“What most people don’t understand is that he was actually unconsciously due to the strangulation from the cheetah. It took some time to get his senses back and it came back the right time.”
After impala escapes, hyena be like:
“Cheetah, can you help me out?”