A Cheetah Jumped Into This Guy's Jeep and He Was Told to Stay Calm

If someone gives you the advice to stay calm, there are situations where that's totally manageable because you're overreacting. You just dropped an ice cream cone. There's a bee nearby. Someone argued that The Phantom Menace is better than Return of the Jedi.

Then there are situations where it's advisable you take that advice even if it seems impossible. For instance, if you're told to stay calm after a cheetah jumps into your car. A recent safari through Gol Kopjes, which has the highest concentration of cheetahs in Africa, saw that exact situation captured on camera. 

Britton Hayes was with a safari group in that jeep, reports TIME. When the group came upon a coalition of cheetahs, it stopped to observe. However, twos cheetahs were interested in getting a closer look at what the humans were up to. A short video of the incident shows one cheetah hopping on the hood of the tourist's jeep and one getting into the backseat. 

The guide told the folks on safari to avoid eye contact and stay calm. "Honestly, it was probably one of the scariest moments of my life while it was happening," Hayes told KOMO News. "I felt like I had to clear my mind of any thoughts because, from everything you’re told about predators like that, they can sense fear and any sort of discomfort you’re feeling and they’ll react accordingly."

He explained that the entire group was surprised by the cheetah getting into the backseat because they had been distracted staring at the cheetah on the hood. You'll have to assume the video just failed to capture the moment when he turned and said "clever girl" to the second cheetah.

h/t TIME

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Dustin Nelson is a News Writer with Thrillist. He holds a Guinness World Record but has never met the fingernail lady. Follow him @dlukenelson.