A male antelope stands in place to let cheetahs jump on its back in the Naboisho reserve in Kenya.
But as soon as the cheetah tries to drag its prey down with its claws, the antelope breaks free and runs away. The attack was captured through the lens of British photographer Kevin Rooney.
In the series of photos, a mother cheetah named Selenkei pounces on an impala that weighs nearly 73 kg and clings to its neck.
Four of Selenkei’s cubs also joined the hunt and tried to leap onto the antelope’s body despite the animal struggling to kick its legs. The antelope took a few seconds to run away, leaving the exhausted cheetahs behind.
“We parked the car so we could watch the mother cheetah ambush the antelope. It crept forward until it was within attack range and caught up with the antelope within a few paces. It was an interesting sight. “, said Rooney.
The impala is a herbivorous herbivorous herd that can jump up to 10 meters. They use this technique to hide from predators and sometimes for fun.
The impala can also overcome bushes and other obstacles by jumping 3 meters high.
Usually, they jump over anything on the run. Adults can weigh more than 73 kg and be about 1.2 meters tall, excluding the long twisted horns.