Well, this might just be the wildlife photography encounter of the year. Two cheetahs rocked up to a bird hide in South Africa and they got so close, they could have been photographed by a 24mm prime!
The video (below) was shared on Instagram by wildlife photographer and guide Alexander Brackx, who explained that it was the first time the big cats had visited the hide. No doubt they enjoy bird watching, too…
The video starts with a pair of photographers in the frame, Canon cameras and big bird photography lenses set up on gimbal heads, and then pans to reveal the two cheetahs, right up against the viewing hatch. They’re so close, I dare say they breached the lenses' close-focusing distances!
One is rather nervously lying on its haunches, staring directly at the photographers, while the other is resting, nonchalantly, without so much as a care in the world.
The world’s fastest land mammal is also one of the world’s most recognizable big cats – and yet, it’s Africa’s most endangered. According to the WWF, only around 6,500 individuals are left in the wild, spread across just 10% of the African and Asian lands in which they used to roam.
Listed as vulnerable, cheetah populations have been decimated due to a number of factors including human expansion, prey depletion and poaching.
While these two might have been a bit close for some people's comfort, it's heartening to see that this pair isn't just surviving but thriving!
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If you’re into wildlife photography, make sure you check out my 10 wildlife photography tips. If you’re looking for a really wild camera, here are the best cameras for wildlife along with the best lenses for bird photography and wildlife. And on the subject of the world's fastest land mammal, do you really NEED a fast lens?
